Lost & Found
by desivalkyrie
Summary: When a tragedy occurs, and Astrid is broken, a mysterious man riding a Night Fury kidnaps her from her home village of Berk, and shows her what living really is about. Another Hiccup ran away, is now a dragon rider and together with Astrid story. They try to show everyone the truth about the dragons, travel the world, meet friends, and maybe fall in love
1. Lost

**A/N: Hello! This is my first Hiccstrid story that I have ever published, because the movies are coming to an end soon, and we will all need some Hiccstrid AUs.  
This is heavily inspired by Persephone and every Hiccup runaway story there is. **

**Also, English isn't my first language, and this isn't beta'd, so all mistakes are mine, and I apologize for them.**

 **Enjoy!**

"Alvilda, dinner is ready!" Astrid shouted, her voice carrying through the whole village. Their house was standing on one of the higher places of the rocky village, close to the Chief's house. After their old one burnt down in the raid year ago, Stoick the Vast demanded they build this one for his finest warrior.

A little girl who couldn't be much older than four winters let out an exasperated sigh and threw her friends annoyed stare. For being so young, she was incredibly done with everything. The kids gave her a sympathetic look, and the little blonde took off towards their house. It was a tall, wooden building, with a huge nadder skull attached to the roof, decorated with smooth carvings. The blonde passed by a taller woman, standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You were supposed to be home by sundown, little one," the female warrior commented, but there was no real fire behind her words. Instead, she helped her little sister gather the food and set it on a table. The little girl eyed the food cautiously.

"Did you... Cook this?" she questioned, picking at the smoked trout. Her older sister raised her eyebrows and gave her a cold look.

"Relax, mom did. She just told me to call you because she went off to the great Hall with dad," she frowned, "Is my cooking really that bad?" she seemed somewhat insecure, suddenly gazing at Alvilda too intently. The little girl made a face.

"Last time you did salmon, Snotlout had to be taken to Gothi. But don't worry, I like it," she smiled sweetly, "It's the effort that matters."

"Don't sass me around, little devil!" Astrid chuckled and poked her sister, who grinned and Astrid had to marvel at how cute the foul-mouthed child is. The girls started eating, when the younger sibling looked up at Astrid again.

"So, you training the pupils at Academy this weekend?" she asked innocently, and Astrid had to hide her smirk. She cleared her throat, and without looking up, shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe, maybe I will take them to the Eel Island to improve their survival tactics," she said around a mouthful of the trout, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Alvilda's face falling, folding her hands in her lap.

"Ohh," she mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. Astrid stood up, cleaned their plates and sat down with her loyal axe, taking a whetstone and working at the edges. She always taught Alvilda that the most important thing a warrior has to follow was to take proper care of their weapon, for it was an extension of themselves.

"Why, got any plans?" Astrid lubricated the axe with a bit of oil, and angled her whetstone just like Hiccup taught her all those years ago. It was Alvilda's turn to shrug.

"Dunno. Just thought that maybe..." she puffed her cheeks, "Maybe the sky fireflies were falling this weekend, so we could go to the cove and camp there, maybe you could teach me how to throw an axe again..."

Astrid grind the whetstone against the edge, dragging it down with intensity, but her mouth was twitching. After two minutes of silence, she finally put the axe next to her, stood up, and gathered her little sister in her hands, picking her up and spinning her around, "Relax, Vilda, of course I took a weekend off. I would never miss our weekend out, little Star," she ruffled her hair and settled her down again when she squealed in her arms. The girl's eyes were shining and she threw herself around astrid's neck.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" she chanted, and Astrid had to laugh.

"Calm down, you haven't even gotten your present yet," she said, and Alvilda tilted her head at her sister.

"My present? But my birthday isn't until next Freyaday," she wondered, and Astrid bit her lip.

"Close you eyes," she commanded, and the girl as Astrid said so, because if there was one person she would follow anywhere, it was her brave, strong sister. Astrid tiptoed to her own room, grabbed a neatly packed box, and when she returned, she tapped Alvilda's petite shoulder. The girl looked at her, "i know it's not your birthday yet, but there is supposed to be a raid tonight and I wanted you to be able to defend yourself, like every warrior should. So..." she nodded her head towards the box in her outstretched hands, and Alvilda widened her eyes. She checked it was okay to take the box, and then opened it quickly, her mouth agape when she looked inside.

"Sissy! That's an axe!" she screamed, jumping up and down. Astrid watched her with smug expression, almost glowing as Alvilda picked the weapon up and held it in her hand.

"It's made for you specially. Gobber and I worked on it for ages," she said, "It's balanced for you only. You need to keep it around to keep yourself safe when I' not here."

"But you're always here," Alvilda traced the bland side of the iron, and Astrid smiled.

"Yes, I am. But if I'm doing something else and I can't get to you, you swing it, like this," she stood behind her and guided her hands, "And boom. Dragon down!" she cheered, throwing her hands in the air and her sister did the same, giggling. They ran around the room, doing their victory laps, Alvilda laughing at her sister ridiculously poking out her chin and puffing out her chest. When they calmed down, Astrid put her hand on Alvilda's shoulder, "So remember. Whenever you feel like you're in danger. Swing, and boom."

"Swing and boom," Alvilda nodded, and cheekily, she pulled at Astrid's long braid. The blonde shrieked, and tickled at her side, and suddenly, the two sisters were rolling around, fighting and screaming and laughing.

There was too much smoke in the air that night. Vikings were used to smoke. Hel, most of their lives, the Vikings of the Barbaric Archipelago were suffocating, drowning in waves of smoke and fire and fog. Even the smallest kids had to be called to put out a fire almost every night, especially during winters. Every house, every building in the village burnt down at least once in its history. But the inhabitants were stubborn and tough, and never moved out. It was an occupational hazard to live on the edge of life and death every day.

Astrid Hofferson was the toughest of them all. At the age of 21, she was one of the best warriors in the whole of Archipelago. Every day, she slept with her axe underneath her straw pillow, dressed combat ready, shoes by the side of her bed. Every night, she kissed her little sister, Alvilda, good night and promised she won't let the dragons hurt her. Every night, she brushed her blonde curls away and said 'i will always be there to scare them off.

This night was no different. Astrid was awoken by a roar, and the cracking of wood being set on fire. She never had to wait for the horn to sound, she was ready before half off the village even got out of bed. As quickly as a Night Fury, she slipped into her shoes, readied her axe and ran to the room next door. Her sister was still asleep, clutching her little wolf plush, curled around the blankets. Despite the shouts and explosions outside, Astrid smiled, and knelt down to brush a strand of her strawberry blonde hair away. Her little sister stirred awake, blinking her blue eyes open to find Astrid smiling at her. Astrid didn't smile at anyone. She watched her Chief with respect and stared Snotlout down. She could burn holes through the skin of most of the villagers of Berk, but her sister was a whole different story. She was the only one who was on the receiving end of her gentle expression.

"'Strid?" the little blonde mumbled, and Astrid chuckled.

"Yes, little star?" she asked, and the little girl's eyes widened when she heard another loud bang just outside their window.

"Is it the dragons again?" she stammered out, looking out of her little window to see the flames coming from the house next to them. Astrid took in a deep breath.

"It is. But you have nothing to worry about, okay? Mom and dad are out already, and we will take care of everything. You don't need to worry at all, sissy," she pinched her chubby cheeks, "So you better grab your axe, the bucket, fill it with water and help me save our village before the dummies of Berk let it burn to the ground," the older sister grinned and Alvilda chuckled, nodding, the fear escaping her completely as Astrid curled her strong arms around her and picked her up.

The two sisters got ready, and soon, they were walking hand in hand out of their house, Astrid grasping her battle axe and Alvilda struggling with a bucket full of water, her new axe proudly strapped to her back. She walked confidently, mimicking her older sister. Hideous Zippleback was currently attacking the Smithery, and Gobber was throwing a bola at it, but missed both heads. Astrid knelt down again, and kissed her sister's cheek.

"I need to go, okay? But remember, that no matter what happens, I will always be there to scare them off."

The child smiled widely, and nodded as Astrid slowly stood up. Without saying another word, Astrid let out a war cry and with her axe high in the air, she joined the rest of the warriors. Alvilda watched her big sister with awe in her eyes, and when her tall figure disappeared, she trotted away to help the villages put out fires, joining Fishlegs and the children of Berk in the fire watch.

Tonight's raid was different. Way too many dragons appeared, including some of the rarest species such as Razorwhips and Raincutters. Astrid just managed to slash one Deadly Nadder to the ground, hot blood splashing on her sweaty face when her Chief walked next to her, his cape soaked with the same scarlet liquid.

"Haven't seen a raid like this in ages," he noted, just as he punched a Gronckle between the eyes with his war hammer, and the beast crumbled to the ground. Astrid helped few villagers out of the way and nodded.

"And it's far from being over," she said as a Monstrous Nightmare set itself aflame and attacked the Buffersons, a family of farmers. Both warriors, the finest of them all, ran to help, slashing and smashing, Astrid picking up the children and carrying them away from the burning remains of their wooden house, "He turned up yet?" she asked the huge man, but he just shook his head.

"If we pray to Gods, he will never come here."

"Hey Az, need some help?" a buff short guy asked, leaning against his axe with all the confidence in the world. She rolled her eyes, and then smirked. Before the guy could say anything, she bent down and he was sent face first to the mud by the tail of a Nightmare.

"Nope, I think I'm good, Snotlout" she grinned, and ran off to help two men secure a Zippleback. The man looked up from the ground, dirt all over his face, and just let out a moan, "Women, right?"

She killed three dragons and captured five, which was a score worth Stoick the Vast, and Astrid lived for it. She lived for the thrill of standing off against the most dangerous beast there ever was, watching the monsters puff out smoke from their nostrils and stare at her with utter hate in their devilish eyes. She loved the triumph of knocking them down herself, and decorating her face with their blood, watching them writhe in pain. Sure, she had her weak moments. When she was little, she had some sort of admiration for them. When she watched them fly above her, floating in the air, she could even find them magnificent. But that was before the beasts killed Hiccup.

Now, she hated them with everything she had. She fought, driven by loathing and adrenaline, running around the village and causing havoc.

She was in the middle of a fight with a Raincutter, along with her friend Ruffnut, when she heard it. You see, Astrid could not be driven away from a fight. Once, Snotlout dared her to throw an axe at a target hundred times in a row without missing, and she didn't stop even when one of the worst storms of that winter began. She fought with the daughter of the Chieftess of Bog Burglars until they both bled and had to be brutally separated. But there was one thing that would always matter to her the most, the only thing worth giving a fight up, even if it meant losing.

Alvilda's high-pitched scream echoed through the village.

Astrid immediately abandoned Ruffnut to handle the beast herself, ignoring her confused shouts. She ran so fast her thighs burnt, following the sound of her sister's despair. Alvilda didn't cry often. She was confident and fearless, because her sister made her brave. So, to hear her scream so desperately for help was forcing Astrid's legs to move so fast she almost stumbled multiple times.

And then, all she could do was watch.

She was far too away, and far too late when it happened. Everything around her was happening so fast, but all she could focus on was her little sister's fragile figure in the middle of the flames, backing away from a dragon. Astrid will never forget the utter terror on her face, her eyes desperately looking for Astrid to help her. She will have that vision of Alvilda burned into her vision forever.

When she was close enough, all she could see was a huge Razorwhip pulling out its sharp tail out of her little chest, a blue Nadder jumping at it and knocking it away. Astrid screamed, screamed so loud her throat burnt and threw her axe at the dragon. The beast noticed her, and avoided being hit, then flew off like nothing happened. Astrid didn't care. She sprinted for her little sister, and when she was just steps away from her, she fell down to her.

"Alvilda! Alvilda!" she exclaimed, immediately pressing her bloodied fingers against her sister's pulse point. But she couldn't feel anything under the firm pressure of her hand. Her sister's pierced chest was terrifyingly still, but she was still hot in her hands when Astrid took her into her lap, urgently pressing against her chest just like Gothi shoved her, "It's going to be alright, little Star, I won't let them take you away from me," she got out of her tight throat, the words wet and heavy in her own ears. She growled at the annoying tears rushing to her burning eyes, took off her hood, and wrapped it around the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. When she pressed her other arm around the back of her sister and could feel the blood flooding there too, she should have known. She should have admitted that it was over. But Astrid was stubborn and persistent and tough and she was _not_ letting the sun of her life bleed out in her arms.

"It's going to be alright," she kept muttering, her hands shaking. She took a moment to look at her face while her hands worked on her chest. She was so beautiful. Astrid always admired her gorgeous blue eyes, and the shade of her hair that reminded her of the sunset in summer. Her eyes were open now, too, but they were staring somewhere behind Astrid, lacking that little sparkle, that glimmer that made Astrid feel warm and proud. Instead, they were cold, just as the night around them, ignoring Astrid's presence.

"Look, little one," she cried out, her lips trembling, ignoring the fight around them. Ashes were landing on the two sisters, but she didn't care, she kept cradling her body close. She was wearing the tunic Astrid bought her for her 4th birthday last August. Her 5th one was approaching fast. The nose, the same nose Astrid saw in the reflection of her axe every day, was scrunched up, blood already drying on her lips, "It's okay. I'm here, just like I promised. You just need to -" she hiccupped, wiping at her face and smudging blood and dirt and ash everywhere, "You just need to fight. You need to fight for me. Please," she let out, her lips trembling, but her sister remained still. She grabbed her limp hand and curled their fingers together, "We're Hoffersons. We don't give up. Wake up. Don't leave me here all alone."

A small axe was next to her right hand, lying on the ground, minimal amount of blood decorating its edge. Astrid picked it up, and curled her sister's fingers around it, "You need to see the fireflies in the sky, little Star. It's starting in two days," she coughed, and couldn't stop the tears anymore, rocking with Alvilda's body in her arms, hiding her face in her beautiful hair.

She felt someone coming to them, "Get the fuck away from us!" she snapped, staring daggers at Fishlegs. The big man watched her with sympathy and hurt, and she pulled her sister closer, "Please, leave us alone."

Nobody heard Astrid beg, ever. She hardly ever showed any emotion other than anger, determination or annoyance. So, the boy walked away, trying to look away from the couple curled on the ground. Astrid was sniffling her sister's hair. She could smell some of her very own scent, the baby scent that still persisted, but the odour of iron and blood and smoke was much stronger, and she felt like throwing up. Everything inside her was twisting. She wasn't burning, like the village around them, she was incredibly cold and shaking, and her sister's body heat weas leaving her.

A loud piercing pitch could be heard, and many people shouted "He's here!" But Astrid just held her sister, and sang her favourite lullaby. Nothing made sense when Alvilda's soft puffs of breath couldn't be felt against her cheek, when she didn't smile and curl into her chest. A Monstrous Nightmare landed in front of her, ready to attack, but she didn't reach out for her axe. If she was to die, she had to go with Alvilda. She couldn't let her go face the Gods in Valhalla all by herself.

She smiled at Alvilda and kissed her hair, bracing herself for the certain death, when a Nadder squeak echoed and a blue figure was in front of her. The two dragons fought, and then, the high-pitched sound was way too close, and a black, sleek dragon landed in front of the two and the Nadder, who managed to scare the Razorwhip away. She didn't do anything as someone jumped off of it, and walked towards her. She could hear people scream, and then, someone was lifting them both up. Maybe it was the Valkyries. Maybe it was just a hallucination before the endless darkness would devour her. All that mattered was that Alvilda was in her arms, sleeping peacefully.

She could feel strong arms around them, and when she looked up, her vision blurred and her sticky lips parted, she could make out a black mask, and pair of two green eyes staring at her intently. She avoided them, and instead, leaned her head back and watched the stars. They were shining bright tonight; the moon being hidden in the Valhalla. Burning ashes were floating around her like specks of dust in the sunlight, and she reached out her hand to touch it. Her hand was too weak, and her eyes were closing, eyelids suddenly too heavy. So she smiled at the sparkling sky, and just as one star fell, she held Alvilda tighter.

"I've got you," The mask whispered in a manly, nasal voice that she somehow knew, and she kissed Alvilda.

"I've got her," she muttered, and finally, everything felt distant, far too away. And then, she was reaching for the stars, ready to enter the clouds, wondering if she will be able to walk on them, and if the gates of Valhalla were really golden. She felt safe as she floated around, gliding in the skies. Everything was right, and she couldn't possibly hear the urgent screams of "He got her, the dragon rider got her!" beneath them. She rested her head against something firm and moving, and let the darkness take her away from the pains of the living world.

 **Okay, first chapter done! I have some chapters written already, so if you like this story, please comment, follow, favorite, whatever, or even hit me up! All review will be appreciated.**


	2. Carried Away

_**Hello, darlings! First off, I have to apologize for the delay. Even though I had this chapter written already, I was at work all the time, and ff has been acting up for me for the past few days.**_

 _ **Secondly I am amazed that so many of you liked this story! Thank you all for leaving comments and following/favoriting, Hell, even viewing my story and sacrificing your time for my little thing. Even though I've been in this fandom since the very beginning, this is the first story I'm publishing, because I find it to be the most fun to write, and because I've always wanted to make my Hiccstrid!Runaways story. So thank you for caring.**_

 _ **Now, off to the comments! I am not used to ff very much, I usually publish on ao3, so I'm not sure if I should send you an answer in the PM, but most of the time I see people answering here, so I will follow the lead of the wiser.**_

CaptainEMP : **Thank you so much! I hope what comes next won't disappoint you!**

Manacaym : **Thank you for your kind comment!**

CajunBear73: **Yes, we will definitely get to see that in the following chapter. She definitely deserves it, and Astrid wouldn't disappoint her. Yeah, we will definitely go back to the two dragons that played parts in that scene!**

ClassicCartoon27 : **Go big or go home, ey?**

Guest123: Thank you so much! I'm the only one overlooking the story befre I publish it (even my gf doesn't get to read it), but I am glad to know it's not as bad! I would like to think it does follow the trend, the beginning will be in the familiar waters, but we will move somewhere else afterwards.

nandjferon : I definitely will! It's literally the only thing I feel like writing these days

cosmicblader12: Thank you so much, cutie!

Guest: Aw, you make me smile!

Guest: Thank you for taking the time to read it!

IcyForest: Thank you so much! I am very insecure about my english, so it warms my heart to hear it. We will scratch the surface of what happened in this short chapter, but we will definitely dig deeper later. But I can promise you that the funeral will happen.

lilit-di: Muchas Gracias! Hopefully, you will like this, too.

Anonymous Noob the 2nd : Thank you so much!

Ben113 : Thank you for commenting!

DeathSong1993: Aww!

 _Astrid was pacing in front of their modest house. She had her hands folded on her chest and her eyebrows furrowed, nibbing at her bottom lip so hard she drew out blood. Her mother was in labour for way too long for her liking, and her screams of pain were hurting her ears_ and _her heart. She knew her mother was too old to be giving birth. But the contraception didn't work, and she was far too in to interrupt it. So now, her mother was risking her life for some stupid baby she didn't even want._

 _She hated the baby. She hated the baby for endangering her mother's life. Whenever she saw her mom sitting in the chair and lovingly holding her belly, rubbing it like it was the centre of her whole world, she felt so much anger inside her she had to roll her hands into fists. And now, her mom was hurting, screaming out in agony, and maybe she won't live to see the morning._

 _Astrid swallowed heavily and blinked to force away tears and leaned her head back to look at the sky. It was exceptionally clear tonight, unusual for the cloudy island of Berk. Even the wind wasn't as chilly as usual, blowing around her cheeks carefully and ruffling her hair. So, she took in a deep breath, smelling the summer and sun and grass in the air, and watched the stars glistening above her. She never understood how high they can be. If she was high enough, could she touch them? Would they burn to touch, or would they be colder than icicles?_

 _The stars started falling. Settling the sky aflame with their cold light, they were falling, faster than dragons, and she let herself relax watching them. They always made her feel like she wasn't alone, like someone was up there, watching out for her._

 _Suddenly, her mom stopped screaming, and instead, baby cries came from their house. Astrid's heart stopped, and she turned sharply to the door when it opened, revealing Gothi and her father, holding a small bundle covered in blankets._

" _Mom is alright," her father said before she could ask, knowing his daughter worried too much, "Astrid, meet Alvilda, your little sister."_

 _Gothi met her in the middle, and carefully laid the baby in Astrid's arms. She wanted to protest and put the baby back, but then she laid her eyes on her. There was still blood on her face, but she was screaming and crying, and she was beautiful._

" _Hello, little one," Astrid whispered, all the anger at the baby leaving her. How could she hate something so pure? Out of nowhere, the baby, her sister, stopped screaming, and looked up at her, reaching her hands out. Astrid took her soft hand, and the baby curled her tiny fingers around her, and Astrid's heart was soaring fast. She smiled,, kissing the baby's forehead._

" _Now, remember something, Alvilda," she said quietly, and the baby seemed to actually listen to her words, "I'm Astrid, your big sister, and I will never, never let you go."_

 _The baby almost smiled, and before Astrid could do anything, it started vanishing from her hands, turning to dust._

She woke up with a scream. A scream that made her head hurt, and she could feel her blood pulsating through her whole body. She had no idea for how long she slept, and what happened, but it felt like ages. Her legs were sore, and she stood up to stretch them, when she realised she isn't in her room. She wasn't even in the great Hall, or in Gothi's house, or at some of her friend's. In fact, she had a suspicion she isn't in Berk at all.

She was surrounded by ice. The bluest ice she has ever seen was covering, or better, creating walls and ceiling all around her, but she wasn't cold. She could smell fire in the air, and her skin was comfortably warm. The ice seemed to create some pattern, like small bubbles and pebbles were frozen inside it, as if a wave froze over her and she was underneath the surface, reflecting turquoise and deep blue and green, but she was sitting on fresh, green grass, cut short, decorated by the brightest flowers, towering above the grass like purple towers. She was pretty sure Phlegma would know the name of the magical flower.

The place felt damp, when she touched the ground, and ran her fingers through the grass full of sparkling mist. Small, twinkling drops were falling from the ceiling and forming puddles, interrupting the silence around her with rhythmic echoing of the water falling to the cave floor. Right in front of her towered a tall rocky wall, cascading in thin, vertical bricks which reminded her of ancient columns, and down on the ground stood a comfortably looking four post bed with woollen sheets and an iron roof, a small table full of papers and a huge, smooth rock.

It was one of the most beautiful places she has ever seen, and as she was letting her eyes take the whole room in, she could smell and hear water. Just then did she notice a tiny stream separating the room in two parts, so naturally, she followed it, even though her legs felt incredibly weak and her head was pounding.

The stream kept getting wider and wider, and instead of grass, deep black pebbles framed the flowing water, and tall icicles were hanging from the high ceiling. The flowers got taller and taller, and finally, she found a way out, and her breath got stuck in her throat.

The water finally reached its widest point, creating a small lake in the middle of the rocks, and right behind it, was the most monumental waterfall she has ever seen, flowing through sharp rocks, falling to another, much bigger lake the small one was overlooking. It was breathtaking, and she reached the edge of the rock, and it was incredible.

But what was even more weird was the wooden staircase on her left. She started descending, gripping tightly onto the iron railing someone installed here, and suddenly, she found herself in another cave, with one lake another staircase led in, the water crystal clear and azure and green, just begging Astrid to swim in it. Further down, were steams of hot pools, and on the right side, in the wall, was another room. She was about to investigate it, her curiosity getting the best of her, when someone touched her shoulder and she yelped. Usually, she would be ready to take an enemy down anytime, no matter how distracted she was. The twins once decided to paint her face when she was sleeping, and it ended up with both having cast on their arms for weeks. But somehow, she felt out of it, her reflexes slow and her instincts shaken from the core.

She turned around and immediately started backing away. A tall figure, towering maybe a hand higher than her was standing before her, dressed all black, a mask on its face. It couldn't be very strong, for it was sort of thin, lanky, but wide in the shoulders, and judging by the figure it cut in the afternoon light, she supposed it was a male. It wasn't really its physique that scared her, it was its reputation that preceded it.

It was the dragon rider, in all its glory, standing in front of her with his leather covered arms outstretched. She heard stories about him, of course. He first appeared a year ago. Before, they only got one report, from people far south, claiming they saw a man on a dragon, but they waved it off. The southern people have never even seen a dragon, so no one could believe their claims. But then the Lurking Liars tribe sent a report of a dragon rider attacking them. He was always fierce, always sharp and fast, never missed and always riding the deadliest dragon of them all; a Night Fury.

He would raid villages and fly with the dragons as if he was one of them, yielding a flaming sword rumoured to be from Helheim itself. He never unmounted his dragon, never talked to anyone, and just as fast he and the dragons appeared, that's how fast he was gone. Always wearing a mask. A mask that was right now in front of her face.

Soon, almost all the tribes in the barbaric Archipelago were attacked by him. All but Berk. For some reason, he avoided the most heavily raided island. And because he never showed his face and never spoke, soon started the rumours that he was half a dragon himself, a monstrous hybrid cursed to live between the lives of dragons and men. Some claimed he was terribly disfigured, hiding in fear of rejection. A popular theory was also the one where he was a demon from Helheim.

And now, he was standing in front of her, not moving, still raising his arms. Seeing him from up close, she could make out the small shreds of dragon scales all over his armour, and the multiple gadgets and belts and buckles attached to it. His mask was dark black, just like the night fury he supposedly rode, but it was decorated with brown carvings of dragons she has never seen, and a sign of the strike class dragons. Astrid's breathing got faster, and she was ready to latch at him, when something black landed behind him, and she screamed when she laid her eyes on the dragon.

It was one of the smaller dragons, but it made up for its size by the rest of his appearance. It had the darkest scales she has ever seen, almost matte, and a stripe pattern on its legs. Its head was enormous, with bat-like feel to it, and its piercing green eyes were glued onto her, the slits thinning. When it spread its wing, it was threatening, scary, like a devil himself took a form of a dragon. It was the Night fury everyone spoke of, no doubt. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself was sneering at her and curling its long tail around its rider as if to protect it, as if he really cared about it. She saw a red tailfin, definitely manmade, and wondered why anyone would help a downed dragon fly again.

She immediately started running away. She took off towards the other side of the cave, running deeper and deeper, occasionally slipping on the wet rocks, her breathing burning in her dry throat. She could hear a very human nasal voice she _remembered_ somehow saying someone named Toothless to leave, and steps could be heard following her. She rounded the corner and entered a huge room full of shields, unfamiliar harnesses reminding her of horse saddles, tailfins, armours and smithery. She was in a dead end.

She immediately grasped the hammer that was lying on the working bench, ready to kill the rider who she now remembered took her from the middle of the battle. He joined her in the room no long afterwards, standing two meters away, his green eyes eying her cautiously from the distance. She wasn't sure if were frenzied mind wasn't just messing with her, but she almost believed those were human eyes, emerald green, human eyes staring back at her with caution. She wondered why she got a feeling she knew those eyes.

"Get the Hel away from me, you vomit-breathing, two headed offspring of a troll!" she hissed at him, and he chuckled, he chuckled at _her_. No one chuckled at Astrid, besides the twins, who got punched afterwards, and her sister-

It hit her like the Mjolnir. Her _sister_. The reason why she was here. Out of nowhere, her breath got knocked out of her lungs, and her heart plummeted in her throat, beating like crazy against it. The damned tears rushed to her eyes, but this time, even though everything inside her was fighting, she just held her weapon tighter and almost growled at the male figure.

"It was you. You sent those dragons at us, you killed my sister!" she cried out, and he started walking closer to her. She could barely see over the waterfall of tears escaping her eyes, her whole-body trembling. Her little sister.

"I would never, Astrid," he answered, in a very human voice, and she hoped damn well he bled like any living being. But then she tilted her head, raising the hammer higher, ready to jump him.

"How do you know my name? Did Loki tell you? Did he send you to fucking ruin everything that matters to us?" she shouted so loud it resonated in the cave, and he was so close to her, so she screamed and slashed at him, but he took her hands with a surprising strength and locked them in front of her. The hammer fell out of her hands due to the shock of his reaction and all the emotions that were currently running through her. She tried to wiggle out, but she was crying like crazy and her body felt incredibly weak, so she just struggled against his grip and let the tears fall, "You killed her, you killed her and now she's gone, she was so little..."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered way too close to her ear and she pushed him away with everything she had, and he stepped back, unbalanced.

"And who the Hel are you? A demon? Half dragon, just like everyone says? Your mum fucked a dragon and you are the unfortunate result?" she spat in front of herself, "Or just a really fucking ugly man who's afraid to show himself? Why don't you just kill me?" she urged him, her voice cracking, and it seemed to hurt him, judging by the way he hung his armoured shoulders. Suddenly, he was raising his arms to his mask, and slowly, he took it off, and Astrid's world was upside down once again.

She could recognise him everywhere, even though he looked almost incredibly different. In fact, she could remember everyone she couldn't save. His face was wider, gone was the baby fat and his jaw got sharper and stronger, but his eyes were the same. His hair grew in messy curl and shone more copper than reddish, but his eyes were the same. He was standing tall and somehow _handsome_ , but the _eyes_.

Hiccup Haddock Horrendous the III, a boy that was killed by a wild Nadder six years ago, was standing in front of her, waiting for her reaction with his head lowered, looking from beneath his long lashes, with a black mask in his hand.

"You," she breathed out, her hands falling limp by her sides. She blinked, waiting for him to disappear, but he was still there, his posture straight but his face uncertain, "How're..." she mumbled, unable to find the right words. What do you say when you find your old friend, your old opponent standing in front of you, breathing and healthy, even though the whole village mourned him so many years ago?

"Astrid," he said her name just the way she remembered, just like when they were little and pretending to be dragons, just like when he got his axe ready for her when they were older. Just like when he tried to reach out to her when he suddenly got so damn good at the dragon slaying program. She stepped away, backing into the working bench, and he stopped in his steps, too.

"You died," she told him matter-of-factly, and he slowly shrugged.

"Thank you, I wasn't aware," he chuckled nervously, scratching at his face, and tentatively, he stepped closer.

"You were killed by that Nadder," she declared, and he was inches away from her face, and Gods, how could he have grown so much? How could he be here?

"You only saw me being taken away," he pointed out, and that scene flashed in front of her eyes – Hiccup trying to get a hold of the purple dragon's mighty claws, struggling in its hold and shouting for help as it flew with him away, somewhere behind the horizon, and the whole village watched. She was breathing hard.

"You _died_ , Hiccup," she repeated, his name tasting odd on her tongue, and he sighed, regret flashing in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, and she didn't know what for. For pretending to be dead, for killing her sister or for taking her away from Berk? "I never meant to hurt anyone, I just needed to get away-"

"You killed _her_ ," she sneered dangerously, rolling her fists into balls, ready to attack, and he shook his head urgently, his own eyes glassy.

"Astrid, I would never," he said so solemnly she was almost ready to believe him, but perhaps it was just Loki in disguise playing mean games with her, "I was urging the dragons away when I saw it. Stormfly tried to scare him off, but it was too late. Astrid," he said, putting his calloused hand on her wet cheek, "I would never hurt her."

"You idiot!" she hollered, landing punch after punch against his chest armour, bruising her knuckles. He tried to get a hold of her again, but she kicked him away, "You bloody, acid-spitting idiot!" she punched him again, and he let her, and then she suddenly collapsed against him and he reached out for her, crying in his arms so desperately her whole body was spasming in his arms. His grip was somehow comforting when she wept into his chest, letting out shrieks and hiccups and holding onto him so tight she scratched against the leather, and he just held her back against him, his chin resting against the top of her head, caressing her back, "I hate you," she said softly, and he just pulled her closer.

"I know," he said back, and she melted in his arms, finally letting all the pain out.


	3. Stars in Still Water

**Hello, lovelies! First off all, I can't thank you enough for the following and favoriting, and especially for the comments! I cherish each and every one of them. I don't really like ff's system of replying, because I don't want to put the comments here first before the story. What would you want me to do? Reply to them in DMs, or write them after the chapter?**

 **Anyways, thank you for the support, and we finally get the funeral you all wanted.**

She woke up with burning eyes and something wet pressed against her forehead. She blinked her eyes open, and was ready to sit up, but gentle, wide hands pressed her back into the comfortable cloud she was lying on. Above her was the watery ice ceiling, colouring everything around them blue, and when she looked to her right, she saw Hiccup sitting by her side, half leaning on the bed.

"Hiccup," she moaned, face scrunching up in pain, her head thudding again. He twirled around in his seat and suddenly, he had a wooden cup in his hands, the wet air around them smelling like herbs.

"Here," he whispered, not trying to upset her hurting head, and she still couldn't comprehend that this was the lanky, awkward teenage boy she remembered being taken away by the dragons. He looked like a _man_ , someone you respected, not someone you threw into the pond after he accidentally kicked down your shield, "this will soothe the pain."

She eyed the cup curiously, but her throat was aflame, and she needed to put the fire out, so she took a thirsty gulp, expecting green tea or nettle, but tasting something utterly disgusting. She spat it back into the cup, and Hiccup chuckled slightly, and she threw him a dangerous look, "What in Odin's beard is that?"

"It's uhh, mint, thyme, and a bit of dragon saliva," he muttered, grabbing at the back of his neck, and she was pretty sure she was hearing things. She blinked.

"What was that again?" she asked, looking at the ghost of a boy she once knew as if he had grown two heads, "Did you just say 'dragon spit'?"

"Um, yes," he admitted, scrunching up his nose, "I found out that Toothless' saliva has extreme healing and pain-soothing abilities. The hard way, may I add."

"Toothless?" she was clasping the cup in her hands. He pointed in the direction of the exit.

"That's the dragon you met before. My dragon." He said and she let out a laugh, but he wasn't laughing with her.

"Toothless," she deadpanned. He nodded.

"Yes."

"Your dragon," she added, and he nodded again, frowning at her as if she was the crazy one.

"Yes?"

"Toothless, your dragon," she said again, and he touched her forehead.

"Yes? Astrid, are you okay?"

She slapped his hand away, "You are the dragon rider," she stated what she already knew the moment she laid her eyes on the mask, but somehow she couldn't grasp her head around the fact that Hiccup, tall and wide-shouldered Hiccup with sharp jaw was in fact the feared persona that had the bravest Vikings hide in corners. Hiccup, the boy who frequently tripped over his own feet on a straight path and twisted his ankle at least once a week was the creature that sleekly flew in the skies and disarmed anyone who tried to hurt him, commanding a freaking dragon.

He seemed to open his mouth to say something, only to swallow it and finally say, "Yes, I am."

"Explain," she demanded, sitting up straight in the bed so he could stop looking at her from above. When they were sitting, their eyes were on the same level, and yes, he still did have that tiny scar on his chin she remembered Stoick blabbering around when he was drunk and desperate and her and Gobber were the only ones left to listen.

"It's kind of a long story, to be honest, but to sum it up, I shot down a night fury, couldn't kill it, befriended it, and well," he shook his hands, "Here we are."

She had so many questions, and nothing made sense, but then she realised how she got here, while she was in this odd cave with this – with Hiccup, talking about his dragon. She bit her lip and straightened her posture, bracing herself to ask the question.

"Where is she."

Hiccup seemed to slump down, his shoulders falling, his face turning sympathetic and softer.

"I took you with her. We tried to save her, but..." he didn't seem to have the strength to have the words to say it, so he just shrugged and looked at her cautiously, "I put her body in the dry ice cave, so you could send her off to a warrior's death when you are ready."

The words were so definite. Putting an end to any hope she had, and she bit her lip so hard she started bleeding, tears falling again. He tried to wipe them away, but she pushed him away once more.

"Don't touch me," she snarled, "Just because you tell me your excuse of a story doesn't mean anything," she rubbed her eyes herself, noticing her face was clean of the blood and dirt. She wondered if he washed Alvilda, too, "Take me to her."

He stood up and offered her his hand. She ultimately declined, forcing the hand away from herself, but when she finally raised from the soft bed, her head started spinning and she had to lean against him. Finding no reason to fight, she let him lead her down another stairs, paying no attention to the black reptile watching them intently from another dark room, when they finally reached the cave.

It was way more down, and the ice here really did seem drier, and colder. Alvilda was lying on soft, green moss, the bloodied tunic still on, but her face clean. Her blonde hair was laid out around her hair carefully, and her little axe settled on her stomach. Astrid's breath hitched, and she yelped, tiptoeing towards the corpse of her little sister.

Hiccup stayed at the entrance, and let her approach the body by herself. Her skin was blue, but her face showed no sign of pain. She reached out, and ran her fingers through her wavy hair, remembering how she used to braid them every morning.

"She would always complain I was pulling at her hair too hard," she whispered, caressing her cold forehead. Hiccup was still glued to his spot, but she could feel his stare on her, "But then she would show her braid off to everyone. She..." she broke down, wiping her nose and kissing her forehead, letting out loud cries, "Hiccup," she let out for a reason she couldn't understand, and didn't have the power to analyse, and in the blink of an eye, the tall man was by her side, his hand on her shoulder. She cried and cried, throwing up from the terrible sickness that was consuming her, and Hiccup held her hair and whispered soothing words into her hair. She curled her knees up to her chest and punched at her head, and Hiccup took her hands in his and stopped her.

"Why did it happen?" she muttered, her voice quiet, and Hiccup was warm where Alvilda was forever cold.

"The dragon that attacked her, he is known for his aggression," he said against her ear, "He saw her waving the axe, and attacked."

That cause Astrid to shriek some more, screaming and hiding her face in her hands. He sighed, and curled around her. And after what felt like eternity but was actually few hours, the crying ceased, and she was just whining in his arms. He brushed her hair away from her sticky forehead, and said the words she was so afraid to hear.

"We should send her away."

"What? _We_ should send her away?" she turned to him, her red eyes shining with anger, "There is no we, Hiccup. You _kidnapped_ me and her dead body, you took me Gods know where and now you think there is a we?" she let out a bitter laugh, "Why would I want to have anything to do with a lying psychopath who pretended to be dead for six damn years and now fights with the enemy that killed his own mother!" she shouted into his face, her throat burning with every word.

He didn't seem to be willing to fight back, to say any excuse at all, looking at her as if she was ready to shatter at any moment. To be fair, she felt like it, too. She stood up, dusting off her knees.

"You are an idiot, Hiccup, and I couldn't hate you more," she snarled at him, and left him there with her dead sister's body, running to go back to the bed she woke up in and praying to Gods she will wake up just to find out it was all just a terrible dream.

In the meantime, Sigrid was staring Stoic the Vast down, tears in her blue eyes. She was sitting at the same table as he was, with the whole council surrounding them, her husband holding her hand firmly.

"Stoick, please, you must do something," she begged. The couple was exhausted. It was only over two days since they lost both of their daughters to the dragons, and they spent sleepless night crying and praying to the Gods to return them back home, "The Dragon Rider, he took my girls, he took your best warrior, your right hand. We need to save them."

"Sigrid, Gulp, you have to understand," the chief said, but his own eyes were tired, "There is nothing we can do. He took off somewhere towards Raven's point, and then my men lost it. He could be anywhere."

"Besides," Gobber added, even though he could be seen wiping tears away every once in a while, "How do you take down a man who commands a Night Fury itself?"

The whole village talked about it for the whole day. They all saw the silver dragon hurt Alvilda, and then, the Dragon Master collecting them both in his arms, and taking off again. Everyone screamed after him, threw bolas and spears, but he got away, and all that was left of them was Astrid's axe and Alvilda's bloodied bucket. Now, everyone was throwing pitying glances towards the two warriors who lost their everything.

"We have to at least try," Gulp, the burly man with a long moustache said, "We have to find Astrid. As far as we know, at least she was alive! He probably just paralysed her with his demonic powers, so she couldn't fight back! He took her to weaken us and we need to take her back!""

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Stoick hit his fist against the table and everyone jumped up in their seats, "Don't you think if I knew of any way to save your daughter, I would have? Don't you think that if I could avoid another child being carried away by a dragon, I wouldn't?" his voice broke at the end, and he slumped back in his chair, rubbing at his forehead. Everyone turned silent, exchanging nervous glances as they waited for their Chief to do anything. But a minute passed, and he still didn't look up, so Gobber cleared his throat.

"Alrightie, alrightie, everyone, out," he ordered, waving his hands in the direction of the door, "The Chief needs some time to himself."

He watched as all the villages obeyed, slowly walking away, and he paid the Hoffersons one last look before turning to Stoick. He grasped his shoulder and shook him a little.

"It's all coming back again," Stoick said, his voice empty, his eyes glued to the wooden surface of the round table they were sitting at, "I see him in my dreams again, Gobber, being carried away. Trying to fight off the dragon with his tiny hands. I see Valka-" he sniffled, "And now, I see Astrid, too."

"There was nothing yer old self could do, Stoick," Gobber sat down next to him again, "We did the best we could. We searched the whole island, but we both know that beast is long gone by now."

"Hiccup would be 21, just like her," Stoick noted, and Gobber wiped at his face with his good hand.

"It wasn't your fault. Not Valka, not Astrid. It wasn't."

The old Chief, whose long hair and braided bear greyed significantly in the past few years, looked up at the ceiling with his wet eyes, his fingers tracing the silver ring he made for Valka over twenty years ago. The two best friends sat in silence, when Gobber broke it.

"Why did he take her? Why not just kill her?" he wondered out loud, and Stoick closed his eyes.

"He never kills. He just spreads terror and robs. Besides," he leaned in closer to his friend, disgust forming on his face, "For all we know, he is at least half man. Now, why would a lonely man need a beautiful young woman?"

Gobber's eyes almost popped out of his skull, and he spat on the floor, "Stoick, ye can't be serious... you think he took the Hofferson's girl to keep her as some sort of twisted slave for his... Needs?"

Stoick nodded, and opened his mouth to add something, when Gulp walked in, holding Astrid's axe and Alvilda's empty bucket.

"We have no bodies to bury, but we would still like to send them off," the man announced, and Stoick nodded solemnly.

"Your daughters will get the warrior's funeral they deserve. This evening, we gather all the fallen and the village, and we send them off," he promised, and the Hofferson man nodded, and with a small bow, left. Stoick leaned his head against the side of his chair and rubbed his eyes.

"See, Gobber, isn't it better to believe that their daughter fell a warrior's death rather than imagining her being used by that devil?"

Alvilda's hair was neatly braided, just the way she liked it the most. When the two sisters had some time, and the younger one wanted to be pretty, Astrid would create a masterpiece of a hairstyle on her head; it were two thick braids, going from the edge of her hair behind, intertwining on the back of her hand and creating small tilted crosses. Now, it had the most beautiful blue and purple, petite flowers woven in. Her body was covered by a red cloth, possession of Hiccup. Her whole head was surrounded by the softest pebbles they could find, and leaves and flowers, forming a gorgeous halo.

She was laid on a wooden boat, supported by dozens of logs. The sky was darkening, and Hiccup and Astrid were standing by the edge of the ocean. The beach they were on was black, with diamond-like pieces of ice laid everywhere. Astrid was sure Alvilda would love this place.

She couldn't sleep much when she finally laid in that unfamiliar bed, and after endless hours spent turning around and crying, she finally approached Hiccup who was waiting just outside the entrance, telling him she is ready to send her off. He didn't dare helping her with the preparations, just promised to get the bows and arrows and a boat.

Handling the body of her dead sister was terrible. It was terribly heavy and stiff, and even though it was preserved by the dry, cold cave, there was that terrible smell that reminded her of that day her aunt died and the Hofferson women prepared her for her last journey, just like she was doing now. All alone. But she knew she had to do it. It was the last honor she could give her; she spent her teenagerhood taking care of little Alvilda, it was only fair to do it one last time, too.

When she changed her into comfortable rags that weren't dirtied by the battle she lost, she wiped off the last trace of blood and corpse fluids out of her sister's hands, and caressed her cold, wet cheeks. It was like touching icicles, not like feeling her beloved sister's skin.

When everything was prepared, she swallowed her dignity and called that strange man who called himself by her old friend's name, and asked him to carry her with him, afraid she would crack her fragile body or tear her thin skin. He didn't say a word, and just helped her lift her.

She was holding her still hand, trying to memorise her face. She tried to remember every freckle, like little stars on her pale skin. She hoped she will never forget her cute, slightly bigger upper lip that always trembled so cutely when she was supressing tears. She wished she could see her bright smile again.

The sky was purple and dark blue when she kissed her one last time and let go of her tiny hand for good. Slowly, as if not to disrupt her peaceful sleep, she pushed the little boat off, letting the flow of the water take her where she was meant to go to meet the Valkyries. She stood up and picked up the bow next to her. It was a beautiful, bright night, just like the one when Alvilda was born. She watched the boat sail away, gripping the bow tight, trying to get a steady hold of it. The breeze played with her hair as she finally raised the bow, and let Hiccup set the tip on fire.

The boat was meters away now, the tiny axe laid atop of the body, and Astrid knew it was time to send her sister where she now belonged. Her hands were shaking, and she couldn't seem to focus herself enough to aim for it.

Astrid always rejected everyone's help. She rarely ever needed it, to be honest. And she definitely didn't need the help of a man she hated with everything she had. But as Hiccup watched her aiming the arrow, her bottom lip trembling and her chin tight and stuck out, he walked up to her and slowly helped her steady her limbs. The blonde woman bit her lip, sniffled, and finally shot the burning arrow, hitting the boat and setting it on fire. She watched the fires raising up high, glistening in the distance as Hiccup followed with his own burning arrow. Then, to her utter shock, the back beast moved a bit closer to them and fired a single purple blast himself, lowering his head afterwards.

" _There do I see my father, my mother, and my brothers and my sisters. They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla... where the brave shall live forever,"_ she said in a strong voice, the fires reflecting in her eyes. She could see the wild flames licking at her sister's body, could almost feel the fire devouring her soft curly hair and burning the petals of flowers that accompanied her on the journey over the bridge.

She lowered the bow, the wind that smelled like ash and burnt bodies messing with her hair and showing strands of gold into her face, but she never stopped looking at the boat, floating away with the tide. Hiccup told her he coated the boat with a Monstrous Nightmare gel to make sure everything would burn even though they didn't have enough arrows. The sea seemed to be on fire, shining with her sister's burning body, the plasma eating away everything physical that remained of her sibling.

"I promised I would be there," Astrid whispered to no one in particular, hypnotised by the twirling flames. She knew the black beast was somewhere around even though Hiccup commanded it to stay away after the shot with a simple hand gesture, but she didn't care. All that mattered were the ashes lazily floating the air around them, falling like snowflakes. "Every damn time, I made her believe I would always be by her side to scare the dragons off. But I let her down," she sobbed, dropping the bow to the ground. The fire grew bigger and bigger, the flames consuming all of the logs below the girl's body, "I told her not to worry, and she... I disappointed her in her last moments."

She fell to her knees, and Hiccup followed. She was still not used to his presence, and Gods, she did think she hated him even though she went over and over everything he said in her head around million times when she couldn't sleep, and she didn't know how to feel about his constant need to touch her, but she found it reassuring in that moment. It wasn't like there was anyone else to hold onto. She cried, not caring she showed her weakness in front of another person. The sky was jet black above them, stars appearing, as she bawled in his shoulder.

"You said – you said he attacked because she had an axe," Astrid remembered, looking up to meet his eyes, "I gave her that axe. Hiccup, do you think I killed her?"

Not waiting for any answer, an agonising scream filled the air, and she was punching against the pebbles and throwing them everywhere and trashing in Hiccup's arms. He held her firmly, trying to get her attention back to reality as she kept chanting 'I killed her, I killed her' all over again.

"Astrid, Astrid!" he shouted to get her attention, and shook her in his arms. Forcing her to look up at him by lifting her chin, he wiped some of the tears away, "Look at me," he ordered her in a commanding voice she had no idea he was capable of (but then again, she didn't know this person), "It's not your fault. You did what everyone would; you gave her the means to protect herself. And the dragon – I know him, he is angry at the world, angry at the humans. He was captured by dragon trappers for ages, and they used him to train recruits. He would have done it even if she was swinging around a straw of grass," he brushed her blonde bangs away from her glassy eyes, "Astrid," he said importantly, and she actually stopped sobbing for a while, "It's not your fault. And I'm pretty sure she knew you would never let her down."

She took in a deep breath and looked over his shoulder at the flames. She was far enough from them to become just a glowing dot in the ocean, just a burning star in the endless waters. Alvilda always loved to swim, and Astrid remembered how happy she was when the sea was warm enough in summer and they could jump in, play in the coming waves, crashing against the shore. Just like they were washing against the tips of her shoes now.

" _May the Valkyries welcome you and lead you through Odin's great battlefield. May they sing your name with love and fury, so that we might hear it rise from the depths of Valhalla and know that you've taken your rightful place at the table of kings. For a great soul has fallen today. A daughter, a sister, a little star. My best friend,"_ Astrid cited, and then, leaned her head against the soft pebbles, laying down. The air was soothing, and the smell of fire was distant as she blinked at the stars above her. It was like millions of fallen souls staring back at her, glittering with warmth and love. A star fell, and then another one, and she smiled, "The sky fireflies," she said, and Hiccup laid down next to her, cautious not to disturb her.

"You were asleep for almost two days," he informed her, and she sniffled and watched as another one created a fire trace in the sky and disappeared.

"I know," she whispered, and reached into her pocket to pull out a small braid of blonde her. She tangled it around her fingers, and breathed in the salty ocean, "Goodbye, little star," she kissed the hair, and watched the stars, suddenly feeling closer to her sister as a significantly stronger breeze flew around her, carrying her sister's soul to the Valhalla, "May we meet again."

The wind was carried off to the oceans, and Astrid watched the fireflies glimmer around, passing by her and Alvilda's favourite constellation of the wolf. Hiccup never left her side.

After what felt like an hour of just laying around and watching fireflies crossing the skies in random patterns, something returned Astrid back to the world of the living. She turned to face Hiccup, who seemed to be watching her the whole time.

"You said you tried to stop them. You control that Night Fury. Why the Hel didn't you tell them not to attack Berk when everyone you knew was back there?"

His breath seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he shook his head, "Astrid, I don't control the dragons, I don't control Toothless-"

"You did know they were going there, though," she continued, sitting up, power coming back to her, "You knew they were in to attack us, and you did nothing the whole time."

"I thought if I interfered, someone would recognise me-"

"And we can't have that, can we?" she hissed at him, gritting her teeth, "Poor little Hiccup ran away and left everyone fucking behind to deal with their own shit while he had the solution in his damn hands! He left so poor Astrid could spend years consoling his father and trying to put Snotlout in good enough shape not to become the worst Chief ever, and then he returns, and he does nothing because someone might recognise him while Alvilda was fucking pierced through by a damn dragon!" she screamed, her whole body shaking with terrible rage, "You are nothing but a coward. A damn coward who thought living with beasts was better than facing the consequences of his actions."

Without another word, she left again, leaving gaping Hiccup behind her.

 **Next time, we will get to see a fight between Hiccup and Astrid! Yay!**


	4. Dusk Till Dawn

**A/N Hello! I'm back! I hope you all ejoyed the holidays and didn't make stupid New Year's resolutions that will just make you feel bad. And I, of course, wish you only the best in this new era! (except to those people who keep sharing httyd3 spoilers without tagging them. I get you're excited, or whatever, but please, be considerate to the majority of the fandom who hasn't seen the movie yet)**

 **I am blown away by the feedback. I never expected this story to get so many follow/favorites, and I couldn't be more grateful! I seriously hope we will keep this fandom alive even years after the last movie is out (worldwide). But there are rumours of a new series coming up, so who knows?**

 **And the biggest thank goes to those who leave reviews! I see you, I love you, and when work and personal life leaves me some free time, I will reply. Thank you so, s goddamn much, and I hope you enjoy this mostly filler chapter. But the next one should be up on Wednesday! See you!**

He found her sitting on the stairs half an hour later, face hidden in her knees, not even looking at him.

Hiccup let her sleep in his bed. When she asked him where he would sleep, he told her not to worry about it. He walked her to his bedroom, even though she already knew the way. And when he seemed reluctant to leave, she exhaled, sniffling a little. Her head felt like Thor himself was pounding his Mjolnir against her skull, "What the Hel do you want?" she snapped tiredly, arms curled around herself as she sat down on the bed.

"I just..." Hiccup started, waving his arms around in search for words that probably didn't even exist, "I was fourteen. I thought the Gods hated me, and Toothless was there. I was supposed to kill a dragon, and I just couldn't. Running away seemed to be the only option at that time. And then I was scared to come back, thinking that maybe after a while I will know what to do, and months turned into years and I felt like it was too late to go back..." he looked up, chewing at his upper lip, "I never stopped thinking about you all, though. And if I could help her, I would have..."

She just groaned, folding her arms in front of her, "Leave, Hiccup," she whispered, and without any further words, he obliged. Exhausted from everything, she fell into his comfortable furs, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She didn't have any power to fight anymore.

She woke up in the middle of the night multiple times, crying and screaming from nightmares she couldn't remember when they became too much, but something brought her back to reality. And each time, she could hear someone leaving her room. She was afraid to go back to sleep and see Alvilda's empty stare again, so she thought of Hiccup, and his ridiculous story and how maybe, she would love to just run away and never come back, too. She thought of how fucking dumb the boy was. It took her hours to get at least a couple of hours of inconsistent sleep.

When she woke up, she didn't know if it was still dark or already dark, only that her head still hurt, and her throat burnt even more. She wasn't really sure where she was, cautiously feeling the unfamiliar furs she was covered with as if they could explode at any minute.

A candle was lit next to the strange bed she was in, allowing her to observe her surroundings in the flickering lights of the fire. It was still the same icy cave, which meant everything actually happened, she was gone and-

"Hey," a nasal voice spoke up form somewhere on the other side of the room, and Astrid noticed a tall silhouette in the hallway. She rubbed the sleep out of her watery eyes and squirmed at Hiccup's dark figure.

"What are you doing here?" she questioned, slowly sitting up in the bed. The man shrugged, lowering his head.

"Just checking your candle didn't burn out," he mumbled, and Astrid snickered.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, Haddock. And I don't need your help," she snapped, brushing her messy bangs out of her face. The figure slumped its shoulders but nodded.

"Alright. Good night, Astrid," he said his farewell, turning on his heel and leaving her in the cold room alone once again. She sat there for a while, watching the fire reflect in the icicles around her, creating an odd atmosphere of calmness.

"As if," she muttered weakly, and fell on the bed again, hiding herself from the outside world in the pile of furs around her.

 _The whole world around her was on fire, but she didn't feel a thing. The water around her shone in wild red and orange colours, reflecting the flames burning all around her, but she didn't feel any heat. She felt cold as never before._

 _Amidst the flames lied a small bundle of clothes, not moving, just staying there, in the middle of the end of the world. She tried to scream her name so much her throat burnt, but the figure didn't move, remaining motionless, just waiting to be swallowed by the flames._

 _Astrid ran through the Helfires, and finally, she reached her. The girl's face was peaceful, as if she was sleeping, and suddenly, the fires went out, smoke surrounding them. She was hips-deep in the ocean, her lower body soaked, but she had her in her arms, and she was so beautiful. Except there weren't all the freckles she remembered. Only she didn't have the dimples that caused Astrid's heart to jump whenever she looked at her. She was like an empty shell._

 _Smoking ash floated around, landing on the little girl's face, and Astrid tried to keep it away from her sister's pale form. She couldn't let anything happen to her. She could never live with herself._

 _Suddenly, her little sister was gone form her reach, but she could see her, right in front of her, swimming in the grey water. She was laughing with glee and splashing water at her older sister. Astrid laughed in disbelief, chasing after her little star, trying to hold her in her arms and never let go, but she couldn't reach her. She kept disappearing below the surface, and Astrid was choking, maybe from the ash around them, maybe from the water that kept splashing over her head as enormous waves tried to keep them separated. When Astrid's head went underwater, all she could see were remains of the flames, glowing like a sun right above her head, swinging on the surface of the moving water._

 _She finally managed to swim up and take a breath, and there she was, her little sister, her whole world, smiling like she remembered it. She laughed out loud and grabbed her, curling her to her chest, kissing her hair._

 _Something hot started soaking her hands, and when she pulled them away, they were crimson, the life-giving liquid slowly dripping from her. Alvilda was no longer smiling, her eyes were empty, her smile exchanged for a face of horror. She was losing blood so damn quickly, going limp in Astrid's arms. She was screaming, begging for mercy so hard she wasn't sure she could ever scream again, water filling her lungs. She was gasping for air, trying to hold Alvilda, but the sea currents were taking her away. At last, the water took her away. Astrid was left alone, suffocating, drowning. A small, bloody bucket floated on the water in front of her._

She woke up screaming again, her eyes still closed, but she knew she was awake. She was afraid to open her eyes, afraid to see Alvilda in front of her, or worse, see nothing at all. She sobbed wildly, trying to fall back into the furs and curl into herself, except something was holding her. Cold shiver ran through her, because what if it's just another dream, another nightmare gnawing at her even in the world of the living, but then the thing spoke back at her in a very real voice.

"Astrid, you're okay," he spoke right in front of her, too close and too real to be just an echo of her nightmare. And he never said those words in her night terrors. He was never the one reassuring her.

"Hiccup," she mumbled, slowly blinking her eyes open to make out his features in the flickering light of the candle on the nightstand. His long body was crouched in front of her, his arms holding her in one place. All the furs around here were thrown all over the bed, so she knew she had to be trashing in her sleep, "What are you doing here?"

"You were screaming," he told her in a quiet and comforting voice. She never heard him use that voice… At least not since they were little children, "I had to wake you up."

"Not for the first time, right?" she tried to focus on the glow reflecting in his eyes, tried not to remember how much it resembled the fire from her dream, "I heard someone leaving before. Are you checking on me?"

"You just lost the little girl, Astrid," he whispered, uncertain how to deliver the words, and the blonde sniffled, praying to Gods the shivering would stop, "I couldn't just leave you alone."

It was in that moment that she noticed the big, dark reptile head poking from behind the corner, and when she looked back at Hiccup in disbelief, he shrugged with a small smile. "He's worried about you, too."

"Right," she snickered, resting her palm against her forehead, "Don't worry, I'm fine. You don't have to keep an eye on me, you creep," she all but collapsed back onto the bed, hiding herself in the covers. Hiccup remained on the spot for a while, shifting uncomfortably, when finally, she felt his weight lift from next to her legs, and he stood up from the bed.

"Alright. I won't come here again," he promised, ready to leave, when the blonde turned around to face him.

"But stay close, maybe?" she added, probably because she was tired, definitely because the damn shivering wouldn't stop, and she was so afraid she would have to go through all of that again when she goes back to sleep. Hiccup nodded, walking to the doorway.

"I'll be just around the corner. Call me if you need anything."

Astrid didn't say anything, just shut her eyes, and prayed nothing but obliviousness would swallow her at least for a few hours.

Nothing seemed to help. No matter how much she tried to just sleep without any disturbance, she kept jerking away while watching the dragon attack her. After what felt like hours but could be just mere minutes of the pure torture, she growled, punched her pillow and sat up on the bed. The candle was almost burnt out, so it must have been at least a few hours since she was last fully awake. She wondered if Hiccup kept his word and stayed there, even though she was mad at herself that in her moment of weakness, she asked for his help.

The cave felt uncomfortably cold, the iciness gnawing at her skin, so she wrapped one of the furs around her shoulders and cautiously went for the door. She found Hiccup's form slouched on a wooden chair, head tilted back, his mouth wide open. It should feel nice, that he actually worried about her enough to stay there, in an oblivious uncomfortable position, but in that moment, she could feel nothing but annoyance and anger. Anger that he even brought her here in the first place.

"Hiccup," she hissed, and all he did was make an incoherent sound worth of a toddler. She rolled her eyes, and punched his shoulder, "Hiccup, wake up!"

"Gah!" he immediately startled awake, almost falling from his chair, when he landed his eyes on her, "Astrid, you're awake? Did you get some sleep?"

"The best sleep of my life," she folded her arms over her chest, "What do you even care? You think because you kidnapped me here, you have the right to know how I feel?"

"I didn't-" he sighed, rubbing at his eyes. His hair was incredibly messy in the morning, going in every direction, "Aren't you hungry? We can talk about it over food."

"As if there was something to talk about," she cut him off, but then turned around towards the exit of the cave, "How long was I out?"

"It's the next day, uhh, mid-afternoon, I think. It's been like an hour since I went to feed Toothless."

"Toothless," she repeated that ridiculous name she heard him say before, "I am hungry. I am not going to starve here just so that you could keep my corpse around to keep you a company."

Hiccup protested, but led the way, towards what she supposed was the kitchen. They walk through a small hallway to a more spacious room, full of both familiar and odd cooking equipment and strange ingredients, and the boy started fixing something up. Feeling uncomfortable in the unfamiliar environment and way too down to inspect everything, she just sat down on the single chair next to a small table and waited.

For about half an hour, all that could be heard was the clanking of the dishes, neither of them ready to say anything. When Hiccup presented a plate full of dried meet, vegetables and bread, along with a tall tankard of water, he rested against one of the counters in the kitchen while she slowly started nibbling at the food. She wasn't hungry, didn't see the point in eating anything, but she knew she had to keep herself fit.

"Why did you take me here?" she asked after a while, and she didn't have to look at him to know he was shrugging again.

"I don't know. I thought I was saving you. I wanted to save her-"

"Gothi could have saved her," Astrid dropped her bread.

"She couldn't. She was already dead. I think she lost too much blood."

Even the picture of her little girl, bleeding everywhere caused her eyes to water again, forgetting about the food in front of her altogether.

"Because you know everything best, right, Hiccup?" she stood up from her chair, almost kicking it down, "You had to save me, even though I didn't ask for it. You had to take me and the body of my little sister Gods know where, so my parents couldn't even bury her!" she bursted out, her fists landing on the table. Hiccup opened his mouth to say something, his eyes wide, but Astrid continued, just wiping her tears away, "You know what was the worst, when you left? We all knew you were dead. You had to be. But your dad, he had no body to bury. He didn't know how much you had to suffer before you died. And now, my parents are left with the same faith. All thanks to you," she spat at him, kicking the chair away and bumping into him on her way back to the bed. Before she even disappeared out of his vision, she was crying again, hoping this time when she lies down, she will never wake up again.

She was awoken by something sniffling her face. Something wet and scaly sniffling her face. Immediately, she sprung up in the bed and shrieked when she saw the legendary dragon standing inches away from her face, showing its nose in her hair, "Get the Hell away!" she ordered the beast and started grasping for her axe before realising she doesn't have any. The creature tilted its head and made a humming sound that almost sounded... Confused?

"Toothless, get away from her, you disobedient lizard!" Hiccup jumped between the two of them, gently shoving the beast away, "I told you she's not ready, bud!" he waved his finger at him, and the creature lowered its ears and head and mumbled something deep in its throat, between a purr and a roar, "Alright, alright, I know you wanted to make her feel better, and you were just _so_ curious about our new visitor, but you just scared her shitless!" the creature nodded its head towards the door and made that noise again. Hiccup smiled, "Yes, go wait outside, bud. I will call you when we're ready."

Astrid watched the exchange of opinions with her mouth agape. She was glancing from Hiccup to the beast, as if she was watching the twins throwing their Chicken at each other like a ball. Hiccup held a bowl in his hand, which smelled just delicious, and handed it to her, "Sorry about that, he's very easily excited, and also VERY STUBBORN!" he shouted the last few words, and an almost offended growl could be heard. Astrid stared, the steaming bowl in hot her hands.

"You were just talking to that beast?" she exclaimed, her voice high. Hiccup nodded, "You mean to tell me he understands you?"

"Toothless is very easy to understand once you get to know him a little," Hiccup said calmly, something as love dancing across his features when taking about him, handing her a wooden spoon, "He is like an overgrown cat, really. And well, he understands me just as perfectly."

"But how? They are mindless, killing machines!" she raised her voice and Hiccup actually rolled his eyes at her, something he never dared to do before.

"If he were a mindless killing machine, why didn't he kill you when you were asleep in this bed? Why didn't he kill me in the past six years?" he asked, and Astrid actually didn't have anything to say, gaping at him like a choking fish, "Look, everything Vikings know about dragons is wrong. I learnt that ages ago-"

"How exactly did you learn to _understand_ them?" she snickered, and he sat down on the edge of the bed. He sounded like he genuinely believed the nonsense that was coming out of his mouth.

"Well, I guess it's just fair I tell you my story in all of its glory now," he shrugged, and started explaining, "Remember when I told you I shot down a Night Fury and no one believed me?"

"When you almost burnt the whole village down," Astrid recalled, nodding slightly. And then it clicked, "Wait..."

Hiccup grinned, did a clicking sound, and suddenly, the beast was by his side, watching Astrid with huge eyes, just like Astrid, but unlike the blonde, the dragon didn't feel like jumping out of its skin out of fear, "Toothless, meet Astrid, Astrid, meet Toothless, the Night Fury I shot down," he gestured between them, and Astrid noticed its pupils were dilated, giving it almost a friendly appearance. The beast purred, and... Smiled?

"Did he just smile at me?" she blurted out, while trying to back away but hitting the headboard of the borrowed bed she was sitting on, and Hiccup laughed.

"Yeah, he does that when he likes people. Mostly everyone finds it creepy, but I think it's very charming, right, bud?" he grinned and started scratching the huge black head under the chin, and the dragon closed its eyes contently, leaned into hiccup's touch and kicking its back feet. Astrid shook her head, not comprehending what was happening.

"I think you should go back to the story," she urged him, watching the supposed deadly creature wiggle its tail under Hiccup's touch. Hiccup smiled apologetically. Why wouldn't it kill someone as weak as Hiccup? Perhaps the Night Fury thought him to be too easy of a target and just kept him around for fun, to eat if there's nothing else around.

"Right. Well, I tracked it down at Raven's point, and as you may have figured out, I couldn't kill it. So, I set him free. And in return, he didn't kill me," he brushed his fingers through his messy hair, "He just got very mad at me. I tumbled to the ground like Gobber after dozen meads. Then, I came back with fish-"

"You gave it our fish?" she said, and Hiccup sighed.

"It's a he, and yes, I did."

"You took a fish from your own people so a damn dragon could eat?" she screeched, and the said dragon widened his eyes, and tilted his head away from her in an almost offended manner.

"Well, it's not like the people of Berk were starving that year, were they? And remember that time when Gobber got so drunk he and Spitelout invented a game of 'who throws the fish further'?" before Astrid could interrupt him, he continued, "Anyways, I gained his trust, and helped him fly again, and well..." he gazed lovingly at the dragon who was behaving like a little pet underneath his touch, "We became best buddies."

"Best. Buddies," she repeated, impassive. He nodded.

"Look, I know it's hard to understand, but you don't know him. You don't know dragons-"

"Ohh, I do know dragons, Hiccup," she laughed bitterly, "I know that dragons killed my uncle Finn, burnt my house down multiple times, crippled many of my friends, stole so much of our food we had to starve through multiple winters and killed my sister!" she shouted in his face, and the dragon actually looked away from her, as if he felt guilty, "I know that you packed with them while we were fighting for our lives here!" Hiccup shook his head.

"You don't understand, they have to. There is something that is controlling them, I just can't find it, and it's making them do all this terrible stuff! Look!" he stood up, offering his hand again, "Let me show you."

Astrid rejected his hand, crossing her arms over her chest, "Yeah, not happening anytime soon, Haddock," she said, and Hiccup let out a sigh, "You are a coward."

"Eat your broth, at least?" he asked with a small smile, and she groaned and dove in. Surprisingly, it was actually delicious, but she would never admit that, not to a disappearing, lying, dragon-loving man. Hiccup seemed satisfied when she shoved spoon after spoon into her mouth, and suddenly, he was dead serious, "Look, Astrid, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ran away. But I was supposed to kill a dragon, and I just couldn't," he nibbled at his lip and massaged the back of his neck, "And I was disappointing everyone, anyways, so it was easier to leave."

"So you ran off with your pet dragon and turned your back to the whole village? betrayed your tribe?" she shouted, suddenly forgetting about her soup, "That's treachery, Hiccup!"

"Treachery?" He laughed, gesturing wildly, "And who was I supposed to be loyal to? My dad, who wished I was someone else every time he looked me until I cheated in dragon training? My cousin and uncle, the only remaining blood, who mocked me and bullied me ever since I could remember? The Berkians who complained about me to my father whenever they could, and fucking patted each other on their back when I started disappearing in the woods? To you, who ignored me for most of my teenage years, and then started hating me even though we actually used to be friends once?" he roared, his eyes wild and dark, and Astrid leaned harder against the bedframe, staring at him with disbelief. He groaned, and fell back against the furs, lying on her outstretched feet.

"You say it like I had someone to betray. Like I had a choice. If I came back with a dragon, you would have lynched me alive. You all would have killed Toothless and hang his head on your fucking walls like it was a damn trophy! None of you cared about me until I was suddenly good at dragon fighting!" she shouted at her, "No one asked, 'Hiccup, how are you?' or even simple 'Are you okay?' No. You all just saw me as a runt, a failure that would hopefully get eaten by a dragon before I was good for a while."

"I didn't-" Astrid started, but he cut her off.

"Yeah, you didn't," he snapped, "None of you did. So stop pretending everyone mourned me when I was gone."

"No one mourned you?" she bellowed, kicking him off her legs and off the bed. The black beast curled his tail around Hiccup and gave her a look, but didn't interfere when Hiccup raised a hand, "Stoick was fucking devastated! Snotlout has nightmares about you! _I_ had nightmares about you! I saw you being carried off by that damn dragon every fucking time I closed my eyes!"

"Well, seems like you guys got all the guilt you deserved, doesn't it?" he shot back, and Astrid didn't recognise the small apprentice of the smith who used to adore her from far away in his darkening look. She stood up from the bed, and without looking back at him, left the room.

"Fuck you and your self-pity, Haddock!" She shouted after him, feeling him burn holes into her, and disappeared.

"Oh boy," she could hear Hiccup say, "I really fucked up, didn't I?"


	5. Hard Place

**A/N" Helllooo! After almost two years and the worst writer's block of my life, quarantine got me back on track. I'm sorry it took so long, and I hope there are still people who will enjoy this story. The updates should be more frequent now, I already have a follow-up pre-written in a draft.**

 **I should probably mention something I should have said at the beginning. This story will take liberties with historical accuracy. As much as I love seeing it, sometimes, especially in romance stories, it makes me sick. I know there aren't many studies about the way pre-Christian Vikings were, but from exhumed graves of women soldiers and their right to divorce and own land, I always envisioned Berk as place where men and women are equal. At least in their universe. So, if you are looking for stories centred around women treated as something less and talks about their virginity, this is not the place for you.**

 **I hope many of you will keep on reading this, even after the movies are over. Here are some 4,5k words to cheer you up and keep you entertained during this confusing time!**

Astrid wasn't going to make the first step. This was still all his fault, even after the two hours she spent brooding and contemplating his words.

Sure, she could admit that she saw Hiccup's point. _Some_ of it, anyways. She knew they were all ignoring him, basically outcasting him, but without the actual exile. Which was worse; he had to walk past their disappointed and mocking faces every day. But the mess he got himself, and now her, too, into wasn't _her_ fault. That was all on him and him only. Not to mention the fact that he just abducted her. He had a lot of apologising and explaining to do, too.

She sat by the sea, watching the calm, grey waves wash at the shore, inches away from her dirty shoes, so different from the familiar coasts back home. She had all her stuff back there. Could she even come back now? Would the man who claimed to be Hiccup ever take her back to Berk? Did she even want to face everything back home?

In that moment, she couldn't imagine returning to her island. She could not even begin to comprehend the fact that she would never see Alvilda's little dimples alone, and coming back home, just to see her wooden bed empty and her wolf plushie lying abandoned on the pillow, their parents' crushes expressions… It was way too much for her.

Throwing a pebble after pebble, her hands resting against her knees, she swallowed her quiet tears, when she heard approaching steps. He sat down next to her, folding his long legs in front of him and not looking at her. His shoes appeared way too fancy for a guy who was on the run. She couldn't detect the beast anywhere close to them, but she still tried to keep herself focused on her surroundings, just in case _it_ returned. They sat in silence for a while, Astrid throwing the smooth rocks with furious tremor, when he cleared his throat awkwardly, just like she remembered. Good, there was some annoying familiarity she could rely on.

"I'm sorry about her..." he told her, and she blinked a couple of times and launched a fistful of rocks to the ocean, "I know it's too soon, and I shouldn't bring anything else up from my sorrow while you're in mourning. That was insensitive. I'm really…"

"Yeah," she grunted, "Me too."

The dragon rider remained silent again, clearly trying to ask her something but not knowing how, constantly rubbing at his neck and taking in deep breaths, "Spill it, Haddock, this whole shy side of you is very annoying," she muttered, digging up a fistful of rocks and letting them rest in her palm.

He lowered his head, overgrown copper hair falling into his face, "Was she... your daughter?" he asked hesitantly, and she shook her head at his stupidity.

"I'm a warrior, Hiccup. A shield-maiden. Do you think I would leave my position for a child?" she chuckled silently, "No, she was my sister." It even hurt to say the word, a motionless picture of the icy corpse burned into her mind. "But it is true that when my mom was called off duty, and I wasn't a full-pledges warrior yet, I took care of her the most..." not wanting to talk about her little star because she felt tears rushing to her eyes again, she tried to change the topic, "Besides, who would be the father, Snotlout?"

Hiccup chuckled too, a bit more relaxed, "I guess not. Is he still his good ol' self, or did my devastating death ruin his ego?"

Astrid turned to him sharply, frowning, "Hiccup, I know that you don't want to believe me, but people did miss you. Your dad was out of it for _months_. Gobber still hasn't taken a new apprentice, even though Gustav has been nagging him about it every second. Your dad _loved_ you."

"Well, he sure had a funny way of showing it," Hiccup said bitterly, and she shook her head, turning her gaze away from him.

"You were never the Viking he wanted. You were small and scrawny and just so impossibly useless anywhere but in the smithery -"

"Thanks for summing that up," he mumbled, and she growled at him for interrupting her.

"But you were his _son_. I am not saying that he is the father of the year, but was running away really the best option? Couldn't you have done anything else but that? You made us believe you were dead for _years_!"

"And what would you have me do?" he questioned, throwing a few pebbles himself and maddening Astrid even more when it plopped on the surface perfectly, "Go to the village and be like 'Ohh, hey dad, this is my best friend, a dragon! I know they are your mortal enemy, but they are actually intelligent and beautiful creatures and you should stop killing them even though you based your whole life on that. My dad would disown me, and I would rather let him believe I died an honourable death."

Astrid shook her head at him, "I still can't believe how you can think that of them. That they are somehow _better_."

Hiccup sighed, stretching out one leg and digging his heel into the beach.

"And I can't believe that after spending three days here, with _my_ dragon, who never once tried to attack neither of us, and looked out for you, you still believe they aren't."

Astrid licked her lips, a frown settling on her face. Hiccup mimicked her expression, tilting his head to look at her.

"You saw him. You saw _me_ with him. You know he's not the homicidal beast you all believe him to be."

"What I saw," she shook her head, tracing the beach beneath them with the tip of her fingers, "Was… Unusual. An anomaly. Abomination. Man shouldn't be friends with a dragon."

"In most countries that I've visited, it is an abomination to see a woman carrying a weapon. It is an abomination to even think that a woman is worth the same as a man. In most countries-"

"Okay, okay," she cut him off, "I get it. You think you are revolutionary. By befriending a species that killed hundreds of us."

"And we've killed thousands of them!" Hiccup raised his voice, throwing his hands in the air. She still didn't let herself to look at him, but his voice quieted when she slightly flinched, "Think about it. For every human the dragons killed, there is a dozen of theirs that are now decorating your houses! The Vikings literally made it their Goddamn hobby to kill them! They teach their children how to slash their wings basically the first thing! How is that normal?"

"Because they attack us, you moron!" she shouted back at him, groaning in frustration, "I have seen your bellowed dragons snap a man in half! I saw them breaking families with one single movement! I saw your beloved night fury shoot down our water towers like it was nothing!"

"But they don't want to!" he sounded so aggressive, so aggravated that Astrid finally turned around to face him. He seemed almost animalistic; his nostrils wide, eyes wild, his face reddening a little, "They don't want to kill! They are docile and friendly and kind! And they showed me compassion when no one did!

When all of Berk was calling me Hiccup the Useless, I didn't see any purpose in my life! My dad thought me to be a failure, my people laughed at me, my _friends_ turned their back on me. Every damn day, I prayed to Gods I didn't have to get up from bed and face all of you again" his voice broke slightly at the end of the sentence, and something sharp stabbed Astrid close to her left lung.

"Until one day, I shot down a Night Fury. I hurt him, I _crippled_ him, because for some stupid reason, I wanted to impress you guys. I downed him, and even through all of that, he decided to forgive me. He let me in. He let me gain his trust, he finally showed me what life was about. To have someone who has your back!"

"It's a goddamn dragon, Hiccup, not a human!" she yelled at him, rolling her palms in fists, almost crushing the smooth pebbles that lined Alvilda's funeral halo, "It crippled Gobber. It breathed fire at our houses. I don't care if it needs you, it doesn't love you!"

"It sure as Hel shows me more love than all of you ever did together!"

Astrid rubbed at her forehead, her head hurting, "Look, I know we fucked up! We shouldn't have been so rude to you! And trust me, we've all regretted behaving like that after you d-left."

"A little bit late for that," he murmured.

" _But_ , that doesn't mean you should have gone to him. And leave us. And it sure as Hel doesn't mean you have any goddamn right in the world to kidnap me! What were you even _thinking_!"

"I don't know!" he exclaimed, "I saw you, I thought the dragon was going to attack you and… I'm sorry! I know what I did was wrong, I just, I was in the moment and I wasn't really thinking! I thought I was saving you! I thought-"

"Saving you? You ruined my life!" she choked on her words a bit, and he pulled back a bit, a shadow of hurt passing over his features before he composed himself, his angry mask going back on.

"Just like you all ruined mine! And yet I came back, and for some reason even I can't understand, I _saved_ you," he snarled at her, his knuckles paling where he was grasping his tunic.

"You took me in the most painful moment of my life, you snatched me when I was the most vulnerable, and then carried me off somewhere I can't get home from! Hiccup, do you realize how wrong that is?" she tried to blink back the tears, because she didn't need to show her pain in front of him again. He widened his eyes, and his face fell.

"I know, I'm so sorry. I'm – I didn't… I didn't want to do it to hurt you. I guess… I guess when I saw you, after all those years, I just felt like I could actually _show_ you. What I know. Open your eyes. And I am so sorry it hurt you. I really thought I could help your sister. I know more about medicine than Gothi does now."

"I wanna go home," Astrid said sternly, turning to the sea again, brushing her hair behind her ear. It smelled like salt, but it didn't remind her of the air at home. She felt lost, as if she was miles away.

"Why? What life do you have there? Killing innocent creatures for a living?" her captor questioned with genuine wonder in his voice. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"They. Are. Not. Innocent," she gritted through her teeth, and Hiccup deflated, resting his forehead against his bent knee.

"Just tell me one thing, Astrid. Has a dragon ever attacked you first? When they raided you, have they ever gone intentionally after you rather than our stocks?" he asked her, and she pursed her lips. She deepened her frown. She gulped but stayed silent.

And when none of them knew what to say, he faced her, "I know what the problem is. Why you can't see dragons the way I do," he said astutely, and Astrid shook her head at him in utter disbelief, her dishevelled hair falling into her face in the motion.

"Did you really come all the way here to make me join your club of dragon enthusiasts? I've spent my whole life hating them. Hiccup, I killed _dozens_ of them. You can't make me see them for anything but what they are; beasts from Helheim."

Hiccup smiled at her, stood up, and offered her that stupid hand of his. She grumbled, and got up by her own, eyeing his hand with annoyance. That didn't seem to put him off, though, as he kept looking at her with that silly smile.

"I would like to introduce you to someone."

Astrid had a suspicion it would be another dragon. Maybe it would be _Toothless_ himself, and Hiccup would make them have a get-to-know licking session. What she did not expect was for the brown-haired boy to make noise deep in his throat almost indistinguishable from the one dragons made, and in a beat, a blue Nadder with yellow spikes was landing in front of them, stretching out its enormous wings.

Astrid stepped back a bit, trying to stay in its blind spot out of a lived-in-instinct, ready to slash it with her bare hands and then throttle Hiccup, but the creature moved its head and glued its acid yellow eyes on her, her eyes just as dilated as Toothless'. She seemed to look her up and down, and then squeaked, clearly satisfied. Astrid ogled at Hiccup, her eyebrows almost touching her hairline. He just smiled once more and scratched the dragon's pale blue scales.

"That's Stormfly, my favourite Nadder," he said, as if Astrid was supposed to care about its name. How could it have a name, anyways? "I found her a year ago, when she helped me and Toothless escape some dragon trappers. She comes back every now and then to check up on us and play around with Toothless."

The dragon nodded, as if she was agreeing with what Hiccup was saying, but her eyes were still set on Astrid, so intently it made Astrid shiver. She knew she should run for her life, but somehow, she had a suspicion Hiccup would jump at the dragon's back and kidnap her right back. The man cuddling with the apparently female Nadder continued.

"She is very protective of her kind. She always saves the weak ones, the ones in trouble. She would never let her own down. She needs to be in control all the time, planning ages ahead. But she is also very stubborn, hot-headed and always up for a fight. Kind of reminds me of someone, if you ask me," he added, much to her annoyance, and she felt like punching him in the face for assuming he still knows her.

"That's all very creepy, but why the Hel are you telling me all this? To make me feel sympathy towards a murderous monster?"

"Well, this girl here was the one who _actually_ saved you," he shrugged, and the dragon lifted her head proudly. Astrid's mouth fell open, brows furrowing.

"Saved me?" she shrieked, and Hiccup nodded, confident in his movements as he continued awarding the animal with pets.

"She scared the Razorwhip again, otherwise he would have gone after you, too. She tried to save your sister as well, but she was too late. She hates when hatchlings are in danger, be it humans or dragons. But for some reason, she decided you were worthy enough of her grace, too," he laughed as the dragon ruffled its wings proudly.

"I'm supposed to believe a _dragon_ tried to save me and my sister? Hiccup, you're many things, but not an idiot. They slashed dozens of our people! They killed my _sister_ , remember? How is that for a gentle creature when they pierce your dearest thing through the chest!" Astrid shouted, spreading her arms open, eyes aflame. Hiccup didn't back away.

"And they killed my mother, Astrid!" he hollered back, but after he spotted the angry tears in her eyes, he lowered his voice, raising his hands, "I know was a babe. But I grew up without a mother! My dad grew bitter because he lost her, and I was all alone in a world that hated me, left to wonder what she would have been like, if she would have understood me better! But that wasn't Toothless, that wasn't any of the helpless dragons I freed from chains! Have you ever considered that they are more like us than you want to admit? That maybe, some are ruined by life and bitter, while others, innocent, bright creatures are slaughtered for no reason?

I may not know you anymore, Astrid, but I _did_ know your values. And you are rightful. A good person. Would you kill all of humanity for the sins of few? Few that were controlled by something bigger. Humans have killed our people much more often for much less!"

Astrid's hot tears were streaming down her reddened face, her knuckles whitening in her balled fists, " _You_ dare to try to guilt me after my little sister was murdered? For wanting to avenge her?"

Hiccup wiped at his face, "I know this is not the ideal time, and I'm _so_ sorry for your sister, Astrid. But it didn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to, if you just give Stormfly a chance! No more pointless killings on each side! That's why I – yes, wrongly – took you! Look, give Stormfly a chance. Then we can talk. She has been checking back ever since we took you here. I think she wants to make sure you are alright."

Astrid raised her eyebrows, finding everything the man said utterly ridiculous, even though she was slowly remembering a very familiar dragon landing in front of her and her sister that terrible night, shielding them for some mysterious reason from the Razorwhip. She was about to call him out on playing games on her, when the huge dragon stepped closer to her, and stopped in its steps as Astrid backed away. It tilted its enormous head, cooing confusedly, and Astrid (who was definitely _not_ shaking) raised her arms.

"Okay, I'm alright, see- Agh!" she exclaimed, as the creature decided the raised arms were a sigh for her to approach the woman, and she started sniffling her from the bottom to the top, and then carefully nibbling at her braid and throwing it over her shoulder. Hiccup grinned, watching from afar.

"She likes you."

"And why should I care?" she screeched, but the dragon watched her with its intent eyes, and Astrid stared right back "Are you trying to trick me into my grave here?"

Astrid watched, as the dragon stood in front of her, the head prodding at her, as if she was begging to be touched. But why would a beast save her? Why would this dangerous, and yes, admittedly, somehow _beautiful_ monster save her, and now wanted to be _pampered_?

"I know what it must look like from your point of view. From _everyone_ 's view. And your kidnapping – I – I can't justify that. It was for a greater good, without taking your needs into consideration. _Wrong_. You can leave, now, if you want. Or you can see them for what they are without the viciousness."

She looked into her eyes, _really_ gazed, and she didn't see any threat in there. Astrid's shoulders slumped, her lips hung open and her hands uncertainly raised in front of her, when she realised that the thing in front of her wasn't trying to calculate her weak spots or waiting for the right time to attack, like she herself was. She seemed concerned, and _happy_ that Astrid appeared to be alright, as if it was actually _thinking_ like a person and...

"Here," Hiccup was suddenly next to her, once again inches from her face, and she should really explain to him what a personal space is, "May I?" he asked, and frozen in her amazement, Astrid slightly nodded, waiting for the first fists to be thrown, and he took her hand in his. Gradually, he raised their connected arms in front of the dragon, outstretching it and opening Astrid's palms with his rough thumbs. Her heart was plummeting with adrenaline when he let go of her, and whispered, "Look away, and let her make the first step, to show her you trust her. That's how she'll know you're not here to cause her harm. You're a good person, Astrid. Don't let grief and anger blind you. Make your own judgement."

Astrid's chest was lifting heavily and fast, wondering why it should be _her_ showing the dragon mercy, but at loss for words, she cautiously turned away, squeezing her eyes shut when she did the one thing she always taught her pupils to never do; turn away from the enemy. She was expecting to be killed on sight, mentally slapping herself for believing this obviously deranged man, already formulating her explanatory speech for the Kings in Valhalla, when something incredibly soft, warm and patterned gently pressed itself against her hand, and Astrid's breathing stopped. Tentatively, her heart racing in her chest and her whole body sweating, she spun back around to peek at the dragon.

The Nadder had her eyes closed, completely at ease as she brushed herself against Astrid's opened palm, cooing softly, deep in her throat, the sound resonating through her bones where their bodies met. Astrid chuckled in disbelief, blinking rapidly. The beast just offered herself to Astrid. She never touched a dragon before. She slayed them and hit them, but she never actually _felt_ their scales. She never imagined them to be so smooth against her skin, almost like the silk she once touched when she was going through all the souvenirs the trader brought.

Biting at her bottom lip, she raised her other hand without even fully realising it, and before she could stop herself and re-evaluate her own sanity, she laid her other hand on the other side of the enormous face, noticing the gorgeous purplish and yellow pattern the dragon sported over its majestic wings, like freckles of all sizes splattered over her grand body. She was _beautiful_ , and comfortably wagging her spiky tail as Astrid lazily scratched her chin, and she laughed, actually _laughed_ when the female dragon brushed her own cheek against hers, nothing really separating them anymore.

It felt _incredible_. Refreshing. Like some part of her she never got to know came to life. She had no idea how this could be happening, Hiccup's speech about bad seeds flying through her racing mind. _This_ was supposed to be the beast that thoughtlessly massacred millions of men, and here she was, _cuddling_ with Astrid, trusting her even though she had to smell the dried dragon blood that dripped on her mere days ago. The dragon felt warm, rubbing against her and making that content sound, and she didn't know if it was the trauma she went through or the shock of finding Hiccup or the absurdity of the whole situation, but she felt safe next to that dragon like never before. Something warm flooded inside her when she caressed her horns with gentle fingers, that annoying smile still on her face.

If she paid attention to anything else but the dragon currently cuddling her, she would see Hiccup smiling gently at the two of them, stepping away to give them some space.

"I knew I couldn't make you understand when you haven't experienced what I did," he broke the magical silence, but somehow, his voice sounded soothing, cautious not to alarm either of them and ruin the atmosphere of protection, of exploration, and she kept touching the dragon, tears coming to her eyes, "I used to see dragons like you, too. And I think if I never met Toothless, I still would. No one in their clear mind would trust me without a proof. And I'm not saying there aren't any exceptions to the rule. For whatever reason, some do kill. But not most. Not unless they _have_ to. They're wonderful, full of surprises. But bonding with a dragon, it's..." he waved his arms around, and she finally looked at him, his hair shining golden and red in the pink gleam of the settling sun, "It's something out of this world. It's as if in that moment, you become _connected_. And it's something you can never break."

She couldn't even argue with him, because the dragon was pressing itself against her trembling body, and Hiccup seemed different in that angle, in that light.

"Stormfly knew you were the one the moment she laid her eyes on you. And I hoped she would make you see everything."

Astrid wrapped her trembling arms around the huge head, bringing it close to hers, and smiled at the dragon. Hiccup laid his hand on her shoulder, "Did I succeed?"

Instead of answering, Astrid twirled around, and punched the slightly taller man in the forearm. The man crouched slightly, his hands flying to the wound, and he scowled at her, "Why would you do that?"

"That's for kidnapping me from my island. Honestly, Haddock, if you do that once more, I _will_ kill you. And for disappearing with the dragons and leaving us all behind, even though we were, admittedly, kind of dicks towards you," she tried to sound tough, blowing a loose strand of hair from her vision, "And for disrespecting my order to stop touching me."

Stormfly behind her nodded, encouraging and backing her girl up, and Hiccup grinned, raising his arms up in defeat.

"Alright, I'm sorry, Milady." she ignored the way her heart jumped a little at the nickname, and suddenly, he was smirking devilishly, "Now, would you like to fly her?"

"What?" she yelled instantly, but Hiccup threw himself on the broad back of the dragon with an incredible elegance she couldn't believe he possessed, and in a matter of seconds, he was sitting on her back, his back straight, completely at ease as he proposed her that annoying hand again. Only then did she notice that the dragon had some sort of harness around its neck for her to hold on. But you can't blame her for not noticing when her whole world view was getting shattered in front of her.

"Did you plan this?" she accused him, standing down at his side with her hands on her hips. He smirked.

"Maybe?"

She rolled her eyes, "You won't stop bothering me if I don't go, will you?"

He grinned wider, and the dragon, _Stormfly_ , angled herself towards the blonde. Astrid let out an exasperated sigh, but inside, she was scared, absolutely terrified, but also anticipating. There was a storm going on inside her body, the _pleasant_ kind, similar to the heat of the battle, but calming. She slapped off Hiccup's hand, and Stormfly lowered herself so the woman could get up on her back on her own. Hiccup sat her in front of him, giving her a questioning look before he let his arms curl around her. She felt weird. Her legs, used to the stability of the ground, were suddenly swinging so high above the ground, and the dragon was muscular and firm underneath her, looking back at her to make sure everything was okay. Astrid smiled at the dragon in reassurance.

"Okay, take this," he put her hand on an iron handle, "Sit on your ass, and try to go with the movements of her body. When she flies up, you lean closer to her. When she goes to the side, you go to the side. She knows where to go, so you don't have to worry about handling her," Astrid tried to comprehend everything he said, scrunching her nose, and wrapped her legs tighter around the body underneath her. She was sitting on a dragon. Dragon she previously petted. Gods, if people of Berk would see her now, they would burn her alive, "And most importantly, hold on tight."

Stormfly probably felt that the girl on her back was uncertain, because she leapt off with careful movements, the powerful wing muscles moving underneath Astrid's thigh. Suddenly, they were rising above the ground she always walked on.

 **A/N: And here we are! Hope you at least partially enjoyed this instalment, and if you did, I live for every comment and f/f. Once again, this story isn't beta'd, and I'm still not a native speaker, so all mistakes are mine.**

 **This is definitely not the beginning of their happy life. This chapter is split in half. The next part is quite angsty and leaves Astrid questioning, but I didn't want this chapter to be 10k words long. Hope you have a nice day and you don't regret reading this!**


	6. Sandcastles

**A/N: Hi! So, unfortunately, I had to split this chapter in parts… again. This is about 4k words long, so hopefully it will brighten up your quarantine mood, and thank you so much for all the positive feedback, I honestly did not expect so many of you to be interested in my little story after such a long time. Enjoy!**

Astrid Hofferson was not afraid to look down. She _definitely_ wasn't squeezing her eyes shut as they soared higher and higher above the ground level. Astrid Hofferson prided herself with her fearless personality. Astrid Hofferson faced armies of dragons and men alike, and handled Snotlout's agonizingly terrible pick up-lines on the daily. Every day, she worked to be the greatest version of herself, and that meant _no fear_. But when she did peer over Stormfly's side, her feet hanging miles above the little beach she stood on just mere second ago, she shrieked (a fact she would later deny) and glued herself onto Stormfly's back, hugging the dragon's firm neck for her dear life. The wind felt colder up here, slashing at her face as they sped towards the skies. She had no idea her head could spin like that without a prior head injury. Hiccup's arms pushed her back gently towards his chest, and his confident grip around her shaking form slightly comforted her. Just slightly, though.

"Don't worry, we won't let you fall, right?" he made another sound deep in his throat, and Toothless appeared next to them, floating through the air by his friend's side, reassuring Astrid with the small roar, a different tail fin replacement tied onto him, "Just relax and enjoy the view."

So, for once in her life, Astrid did as she was told by Hiccup, and lifted herself up again, finally taking in the scenery around her.

Circling around the tiny island, Toothless took them on a scenery route, and she could see _everything_. The majestic hill in the middle, the endless meadows, the powerful waterfalls and steam ponds and monuments made from ice. The sea spread to endless distances, sparkling in purple and pink in the light of the dying day, dancing almost as the northern lights the Gods occasionally gifted them. The wind carried a different scent, full of opportunities she never knew she could explore. She laughed when she spotted the pod of orcas swimming underneath them, appearing as mere birds from this far away, splashing water in the air and breaking through the wild waters, undisturbed by the oncoming dragons. Stormfly flew lower as if she could read her mind, and the orcas were suddenly within her reach, clicking and singing cheerfully. Droplets of water from their excited sprays splashed at her freezing face, Stormfly's claws slashing through the surface. She stretched out her arms, and ran her fingers over their sleek, wet skin with a thumping heart. The two dragons leapt higher again, and they floated between the clouds within moments.

Astrid always wanted to touch the clouds. She stretched her fingers and let them cut through the vapour-like substance, watching in awe as they effortlessly flew through them, the two pairs of wings blowing them all around her like the softest fog. Hiccup's legs squeezed Stormfly's body, and they scattered the fluffy clouds apart and rocketed above them.

Now the sky turned black and blue, and millions of stars still shimmered as far away as from the ground, but somehow warmer. They weren't flying between them as she always thought they would, but that didn't make it any less exciting. Toothless guided them towards the auroras, dancing in purple and green in front of them like a velvet in the wind, like Alvilda's ribbon when she jumped around their yard, and Hiccup's grip around her waist was suddenly more than calming and warm, and the body underneath her strong and comforting. She felt at ease like never before, allowing herself to just _be_ , and laughing silly, she spread her arms, leaned against Hiccup's chest, and tilted her head back, hypnotising the stars. She swore the northern lights carried their own, serene melody. They shimmered above them in their own rhythm, thousands of them constructing endless, wildest constellations and guiding them through the swirling skies. Like she was walking amongst them. She wondered if they were alive, and if they would ever get closer to her. If her little star joined them. A firefly star glided by, and she felt so wild.

She got further up with each powerful flap of Stormfly's wings, closer to the Gods themselves, and the wind felt a bit chilly when blowing around her red cheeks, but she had no fear for her rapidly changing life. The flight, the feeling of having the whole wide world within the reach of her hands; she never wanted to let go.

She rested her head on Hiccup's wide shoulder, and she could feel him smile against her cheek. She shouted out in joy, the sound echoing through both of their touching bodies. Toothless roared in return and Stormfly followed. It felt like flying with her old friends, someone who understood her and made her feel safe. Like coming home after stumbling through the world for an eternity.

"Now you see?" Hiccup's breath heated up the cool skin on her neck, and no longer pretending to be cold-hearted, she nodded eagerly.

"This is amazing. They are amazing," she laid her hand on Stormfly's neck, and Toothless flew by them, twirling above their heads, "I feel _free_."

"Well that's cool and all," Hiccup noted, letting go of Astrid's waist and tinkering with his body armour, shuffling behind her, "But wouldn't it be cooler to fly on your own?"

He paid her a crazy grin that reminded her of the little boy who worked on his stupid inventions again, and then, he fell off the dragon. Astrid let out a shriek as she watched him drop through the clouds, wishing they were solid as she previously assumed them to be, so they could stop his plummeting form. She wasn't ready to lose him again when she had so many _questions_ , when he showed her _this_ , and she wasn't going to have his death of her conscience once more.

"Hiccup! Stormfly, follow them!" she instructed the dragon, gripping the body underneath with trembling legs, and the girl obeyed, flying down so fast Astrid couldn't hear anything but the whistle of the wind and she held on as tight as she could. But when they broke the barrier of the clouds, Hiccup was _somehow_ gliding in the air all by himself. A membrane resembling wings was attached to the suit he wore, keeping him surfing on the wind currents and he was resting on his back with his arms cockily folded behind his head. Toothless flew next to him, giving Astrid a look that said 'Yeah, he did _that_.'

Astrid laughed again and shook her head at him when he turned around, forgetting all her rage and fear, the boy making a small twirl in the air, "You are a crazy, silly idiot, Haddock!"

He just grinned widely, his whole face glowing with glee, and for some reason, Astrid felt even warmer than before. He glided towards Toothless and effortlessly put his feet back in the stirrups, leaning in closer to his dragon's sleek body. There was something terribly similar about the two of them, both lean and cocky in their movements. Astrid observed him and Toothless. They seemed to be in complete sync, Hiccup's feet losing its clumsiness in the stirrups, their bodies moving as one in a dance only they knew, exactly knowing what the other one will do next, like he was born on dragon-back, never meant to walk on the solid ground like the rest of them. She had to admire the way they soared through the sky elegantly, and she could see that the _something_ they shared was terribly powerful. Maybe powerful enough to leave everything behind. You couldn't really deny their deep-rooted connection when you saw them in motion.

The whole world fell under a pink and purple veil, casting long shadows, and she glided on the currents, breathing in the salty air, smile glued onto her face. Her whole world view changed, and all she wanted to do was laugh like a lunatic and surf through the skies, with the dragons and Hiccup by her side. To find out if she can ever touch the cold light of the stars.

They landed much later, after Hiccup showed the dragon and the girl all around the little islands surrounding them, when the light of the orange sun faded, and they slowly flew by, so Astrid wouldn't tumble down; he gave her kudos for not falling off so far. The blonde warrior acted just like he remembered; demanding to be shown how to fly properly on her own seconds after sitting on a dragon for the first time in her life, with no hesitation. He was instructing her how to tilt and how to squeeze Stormfly between her legs, giving her tips at how to handle her better, so the ride would be comfortable for the both of them, his grin never once even thinking about leaving his face.

"Gods," Astrid cursed when Hiccup finally helped her down after the whole day after the sun settled in the darkening ocean and the moon rose up in the sky, rubbing at her thighs, "That hurts like a motherfucker."

Hiccup laughed, removing the harness off Stormfly, "Yeah, it always hurts after the first few flights. After a while you will get used to it," Stormfly thanked the boy by screeching happily, and ran off to fight around with Toothless. Astrid stilled, furrowing her eyebrows and biting her bottom lip.

"Used to it?" she repeated, and Hiccup, whose back was facing her, let out a sigh. When he turned around, his face was red, nervously licking his lips as he scratched his neck. He closed his eyes and thought of the moments before the life-changing turn of events.

 _After Stormfly hurried to him with panicked shrieks, he and Toothless raced off after the swarm off dragons, rounding the countless number of dragon bodies and searching for the aggressors amongst them. The Razorwhip joining them meant no good, and they all knew it, as Toothless flapped his wings and took off even faster._

 _The moon hid behind a blanket of dark clouds, not emitting any light for the night. He thanked Gods Toothless' vision was better than his, because he felt as if they were plummeting blindly, twirling around the other reptiles and just barely avoiding them. He cursed whoever was up in the skies for choosing Berk as their destination. He tried to ignore the familiar faces he recognised when they got close enough and the fires started by the swarm of dragons illuminated the village. He turned away from his father throwing a bola towards a Gronckle with a plummeting heart, focused on finding the agitated dragon. There would be no casualties on his watch. Definitely not on Berk._

 _Toothless roared at two Monstrous Nightmares blocking their route and they let them fly through, and something blue passed by them, towards the edge of the village where a fire was set to a house he didn't recognise anymore. Screams and warrior cries echoed through the smoky air along with the clashes of steel and dragon roars, and he tried to ignore his racing heart, set on his goal. Until he heard a very familiar wail._

 _It's been years, but he would always remember the scream of Astrid Hofferson. She usually got vocal when throwing summersaults around the arena and throwing axes at her targets, but this time, the sound went right into his heart, smashing it apart. It sounded broken, desperate, and they finally got closed enough to see Stormfly kicking the Razorwhip again. Toothless cooed deep in his throat when the ash around them cleared enough to reveal the scene happening in front of their eyes._

 _While desperate Vikings threw their weapons at the dragons and fought for their homes and lives, it seemed one little soul already lost its battle. A child who couldn't be older than few winters fell to the ground, their blonde hair dancing in the wind as they landed on the muddy ground, crimson liquid soaking the earth underneath it. And Astrid Hofferson was racing right towards them._

 _A taller version of the girl he used to admire bent down to the figure, clutching it to her chest and ordering the Gods to do something,_ anything _. It looked as if everyone around them got stuck, the fighting Berkians sending away the last desperate dragons and gathering around the pair. Astrid knelt down on the ground, her clothing getting soaked in the child's blood, cleaning the mop of hair away from their face. He never through he would see her this ruined, clutching at the little figure's hands._

 _He felt like a creep, like a stranger witnessing something he shouldn't, and he had to do something. The Gods won't be granting anyone any miracles tonight, he lived through enough to know that by now. As the Razorwhip circled them mockingly, few Vikings turned towards the skies and spotted him, his body moved on its own accord, urging Toothless towards the woman and the child._

 _With Toothless baring his teeth at the surrounding people and firing a warning shot, Hiccup quickly gathered the pair up in his arms without even lifting from his saddle, taking off away from the island as fast as they could, the Razorwhip losing his interest. He put Astrid's mumbling body in front of him and took a look at the bloodied little girl she cradled in her trembling arms. His blood froze when he couldn't find any pulse, urging Toothless to go faster._

 _Once the sounds of the village ceased into the background enough, Toothless landed on an abandoned little island in the middle of nowhere, the remaining dragons flying past them towards Gods know where. He jumped off his best friend's back and with shaking hands, he gently removed the girl from Astrid's unconscious grip and eased her down on the misty grass. Trying to recall every medical knowledge he gathered all around the world, he ripped off his shirt and pushed it onto the gaping wound in the girl's small chest, Toothless bending down and adding a bit of saliva to the fabric. He rhythmically pressed down on her heart, trying to kickstart it back into action, ignoring the tears falling down his sweaty, ashy face. With his hands covered in the girl's slowing blood, he carried on for what felt like ages, praying to whoever would be listening while Toothless sniffled the girl's sticky hair, crying softly._

 _With his arms hurting and the ribs cracking underneath him, he kept going, gasping whenever he pushed down, until Toothless lowered his head and nudged the boy away._

" _No, Toothless," Hiccup shook his head, his hair sticking to his forehead, "She can't be dead, alright? I haven't taken her away just to let her die, I…" he lifted his hands off her chest and stared at the motionless body, at the open eyes staring somewhere through him, on the stormy skies, "Ohh Gods, Toothless," Hiccup covered his mouth, biting into his knuckles, "Ohh Gods, oh no. I…"_

 _Toothless pressed his face into Hiccup's body and the man crumbled down, clothing at his friend's head while trying to process what just happened, how a young life got wasted thanks to him. He cradled Toothless for some time, crying into his scales, when he lifted his dirty hand and closed the girl's eyelids. And then the reality hit him like a plasma blast when Toothless pointed towards a flickering boat on the horizon and his eyes flickered towards Astrid, still resting on Toothless' back._

"That is, if you wanna get used to it," he mumbled, back in the present, and Astrid slumped down on the beach again, "I know what I did was terrible, taking you away, but seeing you after such a long time, and in danger… I know I had no right to take you, and I can't apologise enough for being so reckless, I -" he sighed, plopping down next to her, "I tried to save her, please, trust me. I genuinely believed I would be more of help than Gothi, and she wouldn't get there faster than me, not when the attack was still going on. And then I didn't, and you were still there, and I didn't think I could take you back… Not immediately, when there were eyes on the sky, and I didn't know if you were alright, and then… I guess I thought I would take you here, make you see things differently. I hoped you would see reason, and because you were, unlike me, held in high standards back on Berk, you could help me fight them. Open their eyes. _Stop the war_. I needed you, and it was selfish to keep you here.

I absolutely understand if you want to go back, even though I would beg you to say you were unconscious the whole time or something, so they don't ask you about what I look like. I can take you immediately."

He was babbling, not stopping when she didn't say anything, so she pushed her hand against his chest. That seemed to give him a pause, and he gave her a curious glance.

"I don't think I want to come back yet," she confessed, shaking her head, "Going back, I would have to face the reality that Alvilda is not coming back, and I would have to tell mom and dad I failed to protect her..." she bit her lip, her hand still on his chest, "And I guess I can't go back to killing dragons now. And how do I explain to them that I, of all people, suddenly don't want to fight them? They will think I am under your demonic spell or something stupid like that."

Hiccup was at loss for words, which was, as she recalled and what still seemed to be the truth, very unusual for the young man. Astrid took a pebble in her hand, slowly circling its surface with her pointy finger, "I guess, if we were... If we knew the truth about dragons, it never had to end like this. Alvilda could've... She could've been alive, she could've known how to handle the situation," she sneered miserably, resting her forehead against her hand, "Why don't you try to _change_ the view of dragons?"

"Ohh, trust me, I've tried," Hiccup leaned back against his forearms, facing the dark blue canvass above, "Well - I haven't, directly, but I did try mentioning that dragons might not be what we think them to be a couple of times," he motioned towards his jaw, "got punched."

"But you have -" she spread her arms, "This. Your best friend is the _most_ feared dragon, they are loyal to you, you can _tame_ them. Maybe if you showed this to someone?"

"I guess… I guess I never really tried to do that," he mumbled, watching the clouds gather above them and covering the stars, "After I returned to the Archipelago, I always sent out a dragon I trusted into the raids. To make sure there were no killings. I knew I couldn't fly there myself in case someone captured me – Toothless would be damned. That day, it was Stormfly's watch, and she came rushing, worried when the dangerous, deranged Razorwhip took off with them. That's why I never came to Berk personally. But I did try to protect you. So, uhm," Hiccup tried to fight off a smile, "You staying? Here with me – I mean, us?"

"I'm not sure," she shook her head, staring ahead at the rising moon, reflecting in the calm sea waves like a morning mist in the grass, "I am not you, Hiccup. I take my duties to the village very seriously, I'm a shieldmaiden, I just..." she groaned and threw her head back in frustration, "I guess I'm just in a really weird place, and I am afraid to go back and face reality, and I can sort of see why you found running away so compelling..." she admitted, "I lost Alvilda. I've spent my whole life fighting dragons. The only thing I was _actually_ good at. Now I find out what I'm best at is actually a lie..."

"Astrid," he cautiously inched his hand closer to hers until she moved closer and their fingers brushed, a bolt of electricity travelling all through her body from the touch for a reason Astrid didn't want to think of right now, "You are not just a dragon slayer. You are much _more_. You are a damn good combat fighter, the best one I know, you are smart, fearless, amazing strategist, a leading figure and you have a mean both left _and_ right hook! And you are definitely the biggest badass I've ever met, and I travelled a lot," he grinned at her, and she showed him off, smiling a little.

"I've dedicated my life to fighting. Knew I would do that ever since Uncle Finn died. I never fooled around like the rest of kids. While they were running around the woods, I was practicing with my axe. When they were having secret parties, I was perfecting my endurance. I have almost no real friends because I always try to be _perfect_ , the example to follow, and now..." she shrugged, poking into the tiny rocks with the tips of her shoes, "Don't I deserve to be a little selfish?"

"You deserve everything in the world," he told her, and it was so easy to believe it when he said it with so much sincerity in his now matured, nasal voice, "I don't want to convince you, but you _do_ get to be a bit selfish every now and then. I can take you back right now, and we can pretend like this never happened. Or you can come with me, and whenever you change your mind, you can go back and tell them I was holding you captive. Tell them you killed me, I never come back, and everything is solved. You can even cut my foot off as a proof," he offered with a small grin, and she shook her head at him.

She smiled back, cuddling Stormfly who ran up to her as if it came naturally to her, "No, I am not asking of you to do that. I guess what I'm asking is to get away for a while, and I want you to come with me. You said you have seen a big portion of the world? I would like to see that, too. And Alvilda might have died a warrior's death, but a death no child must suffer again, if-" she gulped, rolling her eyes upwards to scare away the tears, and Hiccup smiled softly, "If we show everyone the right way. Can we... Do that?"

Hiccup grinned like a little child who got its dream gift for Snoggletog, and nodded quickly, "Of course! I would love to show you the mainland. But maybe first we stay here for a while? There is still something I would like to show you here, and we need to pack, and let's be honest, you're not as good on a dragon back like me- ouch!" he yelped, rubbing at his shoulder where Astrid cheekily punched him, "Is this going to be a thing now?"

Astrid bit the inside of her cheek, and tentatively, she placed a small peck against Hiccup's cheek. He was smooth, and tasted like the sun, there in the middle of the night, and as soon as she pulled away, he was giving her the most incredulous look, his mouth wide open. She chuckled and lifted a finger to close it.

"That's for everything else, Haddock," she said, and he grinned silly when she laid her head against his shoulder. He bravely curled his arm around her back after giving her a few seconds to choose to back away if she wanted to. They watched the northern lights and the two dragons chasing each other, the silence only disrupted by their playful coons and the waves crashing against the surrounding shores.

 **So, unfortunately, bad things are on the horizon. I wanted to show more of angst in this chapter, but everything was too damn long and this would have ended up being over 8k. Hopefully, I will force myself to update soon. Hope you're handling everything well, and have something to look forward to when life returns back to normal.**

 **If you wanna discuss HTTYD with me, you can hit me up on .com. Once again, all mistakes are mine. See you next time!**


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